


Tonight And The Rest of My Life

by laudanum_cafe



Category: Fall Out Boy
Genre: A/B/O dynamics (inspired), Abandonment, Adoption, Anal Fingering, Blowjobs, Feral Behavior, First Kiss, Grinding, Homelessness, M/M, More tags to come but I don't want to spoil it, Mpreg, Neko!Frank - Freeform, Neko!Patrick, Oral Sex, Possessive!Patrick, Possessive!Pete, Rimming, Scenting, Sickfic, Smut, neko
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-10
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2018-09-16 12:33:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 42,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9272021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laudanum_cafe/pseuds/laudanum_cafe
Summary: Pete finds a beautiful young Neko Patrick and brings him into his life.





	1. Chapter 1

Pete leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms over his head. His back and shoulders gave a satisfying pop as he glanced over at the clock icon on the bottom right hand of his computer screen. He let out a sigh of frustration when he noted that the time was currently reading 8:47am...meaning Pete had unintentionally pulled another all-nighter. The article he was working on for a local magazine wasn’t due for another month but it was in his nature that when he started a project he usually didn’t stop to rest until it was completed…or he passed out from exhaustion (whichever came first). He was dead tired and frustrated that the piece wasn't flowing as easily as it should. He always wrote with a flow and cadence that came so naturally but for some reason it just wasn't clicking today. He wanted nothing more than to save the mediocre work that he had managed to complete and hibernate for the rest of the week. However, if he went to bed now he’d be lucky to catch only a few hours sleep. He may be feeling physically and mentally tired but his mind was now running on a manic stage. He would most likely end up tossing and turning and running words through his mind; never successfully reaching a fully restful state to fall asleep. And if he DID miraculously manage to nod off, he definitely wouldn't be able to STAY asleep. He’d just end up awake by early afternoon and have to suffer through not being able to fall asleep again later that night. Taking a nap now would only serve to fuck up his sleep schedule for the remainder of the week and it just wasn't worth the suffering. He rubbed his face and figured he’d just bite the bullet and stay awake. Once he came to the inevitable conclusion that staying awake was the most reasonable choice in this particular situation, Pete decided he was going to need the assistance of some coffee and maybe a pastry or two. Still fully dressed from the day before, Pete grabbed a coat and headed out the door to his favorite coffee shop.

 

The little café was only a 15 minute drive from his apartment but morning rush hour slowed him down. Pete didn’t mind the slight delay since it gave him a chance to sing along (not all too well, bless his heart) to his playlist and meditate over various themes for new writing projects. When he arrived at his destination 35 minutes later, he pulled into an empty space in the employee lot in the alley behind the building. The spots were marked “Employees Only – Tow Away Zone” but Pete had recently become friends with the owner (after writing a beaming review of the café when they first opened) and was given express permission to use the lot whenever he came in. Pete exited his car, made sure it was locked, and walked through the alley and around the corner to the front entrance. The doorbell gave a soft ding as he walked in and made his way over to the counter to stand in line. He glanced at the menu board and quickly decided against trying anything new and opted to stick with the usual. As he waited for his turn in queue he looked around the café and realized the place was packed. Seemed like quite a number of patrons needed to grab a caffeine fix before heading off to work or school or wherever. He had wanted to sit in the café and relax while drinking his coffee but since there were no seats available he decided to just take his order to go. He craned his neck in every direction but didn’t see his owner friend so he asked the barista that served him to pass along a hello before heading back out. 

 

As Pete walked back through the alley to his car, he contemplated heading over to the park to enjoy his breakfast. He needed to get out of the house for a little while and put some distance between himself and his current project and the fresh air and sunshine are supposed to be good for you, right? Diving headfirst into a writing project was something he was accustomed to but it always ended up draining him. Pete never had the ability to “shut it off” as one would say and would more often than not find himself holed up in his apartment for days on end while he worked. Working from home was great...it meant never having to deal with traffic, stuffy business attire or asshole co-workers...but it also meant that sometimes he'd be cooped up within the same four walls for way longer than is considered healthy. As Pete buried himself in thought, he unconsciously rounded the corner and was almost near his car when some movements and loud, rattle/bang sounds coming from a dumpster in the rear caught his attention. He stood still and kept his eye on the waste bin expecting a raccoon (trash panda, he thought wistfully) or some other animal to come scurrying out at any second. After a moment or two of more rummaging sounds Pete saw a furry pair of dirty blonde ears pop up over the edge of the container. Their appearance startled Pete because they were far too large to belong to a normal animal. Overcome by curiosity, Pete began to tentatively take a few steps closer to inspect when suddenly it popped up and jumped out of the dumpster. The creature was a boy with huge fluffy ears and a tail that matched the dirty blonde color of his hair. He was dressed in a well-worn yet oversized T-shirt, a pair of threadbare boxers and nothing else. Pete’s heart immediately went out to the poor kid. He appeared painfully thin and looked absolutely filthy. Pete took another hesitant step forward, not wanting to scare the young neko, but froze when the kid crouched low to the ground, bared his teeth and growled. His ears were folded flat against the top of his head and his matted tail was poofed up to twice its previous size. Though this gesture was obviously meant to intimidate, Pete could only think how adorable and vulnerable this poor neko appeared. Not wanting the kid to run away, Pete put his hands up in a gesture indicating he meant no harm and quietly spoke to the young boy.

 

“Hey buddy, it’s okay. I promise I’m not gonna hurt you.” It took a few moments but the kid stopped growling yet remained very still. They stood frozen, eyeing each other for a few moments before Pete had an idea. Maintaining eye contact, he slowly put his coffee cup on the floor and opened the bag of pastries pulling out a fresh blueberry muffin.

 

“Are you hungry? You look like you haven’t eaten in a while.” He held out the muffin, hand open and palm up, offering it to the neko. There were a few moments of hesitation but apparently hunger outweighed fear and the young boy’s fluffy ears perked up as he lifted his nose to sniff the air. The treat smelled so good and he was so fucking hungry.

 

“It’s okay, you can take it.” The neko reproachfully looked back and forth from the muffin to Pete with pleading blue eyes. Pete took this as a good sign and slowly took a few steps forward to get closer to the kid. Thankfully, he appeared more relaxed and didn’t flinch as Pete came closer into his personal space. Soon, he was at arm’s length distance and the boy very cautiously raised his right arm to take the muffin from Pete’s open hand. Pete couldn’t help but smile warmly as he watched the young neko take a cautious sniff of the muffin and then start to eat. The kid took a few bites, slowly at first, and then began to consume the treat in earnest. Once he had devoured the baked good Pete pulled out another one and offered it to him. The neko relaxed even more and smiled this time as he took the offered treat.

 

“What’s your name, buddy?” Pete asked, using the most calm and soothing voice he could muster. The boy paused his eating and looked at him with his head cocked slightly to the side. In lieu of words he muttered out a quiet meow. 

 

“Oh,” Pete stated. ‘Maybe he doesn’t know how to speak,’ Pete thought to himself. They maintained eye contact and Pete very cautiously decided to ask, “Can you understand me? Are you feral?”

 

The boy raised an eyebrow at Pete and shook his head to indicate that he understood his words and was not a feral. Relieved that the kid understood him he asked his name again. The neko, now done eating, slowly walked up to Pete and carefully placed his head on the taller man’s shoulder. He was purring quite loudly and his entire frame vibrated as he did so. Pete kept his hands to his sides but lightly pressed his face into the fur around the neko’s ears. His hair was filthy and matted and he smelled horrible but this only caused Pete to feel a strange surge of protectiveness. 

 

“My name is Patrick,” his quiet voice stated. Pete closed his eyes and boldly wrapped his arms around the emaciated boy’s frame. Patrick’s tail started to flick from side to side as Pete hugged him and his purring seemed to get louder. 

 

“Well hello, Patrick. My name is Pete,” the dark haired man whispered soothingly into the top of Patrick’s head. He could feel Patrick smiling and heard him quietly and reverently repeat his own name into the crook of his neck, as if to memorize it. After a few moments, Pete decided he was unwilling to leave this kid to starve in the streets. The poor neko was barefoot, filthy, emaciated and barely dressed. The temperature was expected to drop that night and surely he’d catch his death of cold if he didn’t have sufficient clothing and shelter. Pete pulled away from Patrick, gently held him by his painfully thin shoulders and looked him in the eyes.

 

“Hey buddy, if it’s okay with you why don’t we go back to my place. We’ll get you cleaned up and fed. I don’t think I wanna to leave you out here. It’s gonna be really cold tonight and you don’t look like you have anything warm to wear.” Pete then released Patrick from their embrace, removed his coat and draped it over the boy’s thin shoulders. “What do you say…is that okay?” Patrick beamed up at him and contentedly mewled in agreement.

 

**

 

After nestling Patrick into the passenger seat of Pete’s car, they soon arrived back to the apartment. It was a small, modest place but perfectly suited to Pete’s taste. The unit was a 2 bedroom 1 bath with one of the bedrooms converted into Pete’s office/library where he worked out of as a freelance writer and aspiring author. 

 

“Well, this is it!” exclaimed Pete as he entered his 800 square foot apartment. “It may not the biggest or best place but it's home.” Pete turned and smiled warmly at Patrick as he gently ushered his tiny frame into the apartment.

 

Patrick was looking around at all of his surroundings, head inclined to take in all the new scents and Pete watched as the little neko shyly began to explore the living room. He slowly shuffled along the room, sniffing the air and eyeing all of the random items that were tossed haphazardly about. Gods help him, Patrick had to be the most adorable thing Pete had ever seen in his life. 

 

“So Patrick, how ‘bout we get a nice warm bath started for you, huh? I’ll get you some comfy new clothes to change into and everything. How does that sound, buddy?” Pete tried to convey some excitement in his voice hoping to lessen any nervousness his houseguest may be experiencing. Patrick looked at Pete, flicked his tail dramatically from side to side and smiled.

 

“Thank you,” he said quietly and Pete could hear the rumbling purr behind his words. 

 

Pete led them to the bathroom and started to fill the tub with hot water making sure that he kept a hand under the faucet to ensure the water didn’t get too hot. Patrick stood at Pete’s heels curiously watching the steamy water fill the tub. When it was finally filled, Pete switched off the tap and turned to make his way out. Patrick grabbed Pete’s shirt with a worried expression and pulled him back into the bathroom.

 

“Hey, hey, hey don’t worry. I’m just gonna run and grab some clothes. I promise I’ll be right back. I'm not going to leave you alone if you don’t want.” Pete addressed Patrick as he cupped his face lovingly. “I just thought you’d want some privacy while you, you know, washed up.” Patrick appeared to be satisfied with that answer and hesitantly allowed Pete to go to the bedroom. Pete grabbed a pair of old, worn-in sweats, a pair of clean boxers and his favorite Transformers t-shirt (the one depicting the classic 1980’s version of Megatron and Starscream because the Decepticons were fucking awesome, thank you very much). He was about to return to the bathroom with the change of clothes when he realized he would need to cut a hole in the bottoms for Patrick’s tail to fit through. Pete grabbed a pair of scissors and created the necessary slits in the clothing before returning to the bathroom. 

 

When he walked back into the bathroom, he found that Patrick had undressed himself but was simply standing next to the tub, hovering over the top and looking at the water. The poor boy seemed confused or apprehensive about the bath when it suddenly dawned on Pete that nekos, like cats, probably had a similar aversion to water.

 

“Oh, hey Patrick? You okay? Are you afraid of the water?” Patrick looked at Pete sadly and nodded. He then averted his eyes and hung his head, clearly embarrassed, while the light trails of fur stood up over his shivering nude form. “Look…” Pete reached down and touched the water. Patrick's eyes followed the movements and tension in his body seemed to subside minutely. “See? There’s nothing to be afraid of. Water can’t hurt you. And hey, I’ll help you wash up. Does that sound good?”

 

Patrick was still shivering with nerves but smiled and allowed Pete to guide him down into the tub. Once he submerged himself into the warm water, Patrick realized that it actually felt good. In a moment of rare bliss, he closed his eyes and purred contentedly as Pete ran water over his head and started to shampoo his hair and fur. Pete took his time massaging the soap into Patrick’s scalp wanting the young boy to enjoy the bath as much as possible. When he was done scrubbing the filth from his fur, Pete very carefully washed the soap out taking great care not to let any get into his eyes and started to rub in some conditioner. Pete took a loofah puff and applied some scented body wash on it and started to scrub the rest of Patrick’s body. It was near impossible to ignore the fact that he was cleaning the most delicate and private areas of the young neko’s body and Pete tried to avoid looking too much but it was literally impossible. The young neko needed to be washed thoroughly and Pete simply tried to image he was washing an infant instead of an insanely gorgeous individual. Shaking the inappropriate thoughts away, Pete began to shampoo and condition his tail. Once Pete had thoroughly washed Patrick, he had him stand up to run the shower and get all the soap residue off. The water in the tub was a murky grey color which broke Pete’s heart knowing it must have been ages since Patrick was last clean. He wrapped Patrick in a large fluffy towel and helped him out of the tub and into the bedroom.

 

Patrick sat on the bed while Pete dried him off and he noticed that the color of Patrick’s fur was actually more red tinged than before, now that he was clean. He helped Patrick get dressed then had him sit on the edge of the bed again. Grabbing a hairbrush and a blow dryer, Pete started to work on getting his fur completely dry. As he brushed out and dried the matted fur Patrick started to doze off and by the time Pete was completely finished, Patrick was curled onto his side fast asleep purring softly. Pete kissed his forehead, placed a blanket over his small form and went to the living room.

 

**

 

Pete took a seat on the couch and turned on his television. The events of the day were strange to say the very least and he wanted to take his mind off of everything for a while. He was still tired and drained but was decidedly against the idea of falling asleep until he was sure Patrick was doing well and settled in. He was going to have to set up the pull out couch in his office with sheets and pillows and clean up so Patrick had some space. Pete was also going to have to go through his wardrobe to find a few other articles of clothing Patrick could wear. The neko was much smaller so he'll probably have to go out and buy a few things in his size as well. There were A LOT of things Pete was going to have to figure out but for now, some mindless reality television was in order. The important details can start getting worked out later.

 

After channel surfing for a few hours, Pete thought maybe he should go back to his study and continue working on his editorial assignment. He was a bit more relaxed now but his mind and heart were a million miles away and he knew that he was far from being able to effectively write anything of substance.   
Nah, his deadline wasn't for a while. He could afford to fart around and waste some time right now.

 

Pete was delving deeply into his search for something watchable when a knock on his door broke the spell of concentration. Not expecting any visitors, Pete looked to the door with apprehension but reluctantly decided to answer it anyways. When he opened it he was surprised to see his friends Joe and Andy standing there.

 

“Peeeeeeeeete! What’s good, mah dude?!” Joe yelled loudly in his typical exuberant fashion as he pulled Pete into a giant bear hug. Pete smiled warmly at his friends.

 

“Hey guys. What are you doing here?”

 

“We were passing through your area. ‘Bout to hit up that new diner that opened up last month. You wanna go grab some grub, man? Figured you probably haven’t left the house this week. Come oooonnnnnn! We’re starving!” Joe whined to Pete while still clinging tightly to his shoulders.

 

Pete managed to escape Joe’s death grip and looked at Andy beseechingly. “Dude, control your husband.”

 

Andy just shook his head. He feigned an apologetic look but it was clear he was amused by Joe’s boisterousness. “Sorry, he’s a lost cause.”

 

Pete, clearly NOT as amused, furrowed his brows and pushed Joe’s hands down. “Well, fucking be quiet okay.” Pete huffed and nervously glanced over his shoulder towards the bedroom to see if he could hear any signs that Patrick may have been woken up.

 

Andy raised his eyebrow as he watched Pete. “Hey man, you good? Do you have company or something?”

 

Pete, still glancing towards the bedroom sheepishly replied, “Actually, yeah I kinda do have company.”

 

Joe wagged his eyebrows and mimed a vulgar gesture with his hand and mouth. Pete smacked him in the back of his head. 

 

“Nothing like that you fucking pervert.” Joe giggled while he rubbed the back of his head. “Just, quiet down. I think he’s still sleeping.” Both Joe and Andy looked at each other and shared a look of confusion. Pete sighed and waved his friends in towards the living room. “Come in and sit down. I’ll tell you what happened.”

 

**

 

Pete recounted the story from that morning, his friends listening with rapt attention and looking like they were almost vibrating with excitement. Andy, being the resident vegan and animal rights activist, always had a fascination with nekos. He was also a nurse at one of the local medical centers where one of the doctors on staff ran a family practice that included neko patients. Pete was excited by this info and grilled Andy for any and all info he could provide to help out. Unfortunately, Andy wasn’t too knowledgeable about the creatures but promised to do as much research as he could on Pete’s behalf. 

 

After about half an hour of discussing nekos and various other topics of interest, they heard the sounds of feet padding into the living room followed by a soft, questioning meow. All three men looked up to see Patrick standing in the hallway at the entrance of the living room, wrapped in a blanket and looking extremely angry. Patrick didn’t know the two strangers sitting with his Pete and he did not like that they were so close to him. He flattened his ears back and a low growl started in the back of his throat. 

 

Pete looked at Patrick in confusion. “Hey Patrick. Are you okay? Did we wake you up, buddy?”

 

Patrick didn't acknowledge Pete's question but continued to growl as he stared at Joe and Andy. Sensing that he may need to diffuse the situation, Pete quickly jumped up and took Patrick into his arms, cooing softly into his ear and stroking his hair. Patrick remained rigid in Pete’s arms; his gaze locked on the two strangers sitting on the couch who were looking back in confusion. 

 

“Shh, Tricky. Calm down. This is Joe and Andy. They're some really close friends of mine.” Pete explained while continuing to stroke the neko but Patrick was obviously not okay with them being here.

 

He bared his teeth and spit out a hiss at them. “He’s mine! What are you doing here??”

 

Pete turned to his friends with a surprised and apologetic look before turning his attention back to Patrick. He placed both hands on Patrick’s face and tilted his head to the side so they could make eye contact. “Hey, hey...look at me. Listen, these guys are good people and that wasn't very nice of you to say to them. They didn't do anything, understand? Now, what's the matter? Why are you upset?”

 

Patrick’s scowl faded and was replaced with a lip quiver as tears began to fill his eyes. His body started to tense and shiver as he looked back into Pete's eyes. 

 

“Come on, don’t be upset. Talk to me. What's wrong?” Patrick glanced over Pete's shoulder to look at Andy and Joe again. When he met Pete's gaze again he started mewling pathetically.

 

Pete sighed sadly and turned to face his friends. “Guys, I’m sorry but maybe you should go. I don’t want to upset him. He’s had such a rough time. I’ll call you later. I just want to give him time to adjust.”

 

Andy and Joe quietly nodded and let themselves out. Patrick eyed them until the door closed behind them. As soon as they had vacated the unit, Patrick wrapped himself around Pete and started crying.

 

“They were trying to take you away from me! I don’t like them!” Patrick cried as he shuddered against his human. All Pete could do was rock him from side to side in hopes he would calm down. He was NOT expecting Patrick to be so attached so quickly and wasn’t sure how to handle the situation. 

 

“Come on Patrick, let’s get you back to bed. You’ve had a rough day.” 

 

Patrick wiped the tears from his face and blinked as he gazed up at Pete. “Will you stay with me? Please?” Patrick pleaded. Pete sighed and nodded. 

 

“Of course, Tricky.” He decided some cuddling may help sooth his nerves so he carefully picked Patrick up and carried him back to the bedroom.

 

**

 

It took some time but eventually Patrick calmed down enough to fall back to sleep. He entered slumber curled up tightly at Pete's side and but slowly started getting closer and closer as his embrace tightened. Eventually, Patrick managed to completely entwine his limbs with Pete’s and even while asleep, if he felt Pete make so much as a stir of movement, he locked up tighter. Patrick continued to purr as he slept which Pete found incredibly soothing. He had been fighting off the desire to nap the entire day but with the lulling purr emanating from the warm body next to him, he ended up closing his eyes and submitting to the warm embrace of sleep. Pete managed to drift off for a little while but eventually woke up when he felt a burning need to use the bathroom. Very carefully he tried to disengage himself from the vice grip of the sleeping neko. He was almost free when Patrick woke with a start and lunged at Pete’s shoulder, biting roughly and growling.

 

“Mine,” Patrick murmured into Pete’s arm as he bit down. Pete just froze unsure what the fuck was happening. This was a very aggressive act and was a bit shocked and confused. He squirmed a little trying to get out of Patrick’s grasp but that only made him grip harder and bite again.

 

“Mine!” Patrick said with more aggression. 

 

‘What the actual fuck is going on here? Is this normal? Oh shit, does this kid have rabies or something? Do nekos get rabies? What am I supposed to do?’ Pete was internally panicking.

 

“Patrick…baby…it’s okay. I’m just going to the bathroom. I’m not leaving. No one is taking me away. I promise.” Patrick hesitantly removed his mouth from Pete’s shoulder and looked up into his face.

 

“Mine?” The boy squeaked sadly and Pete’s heart sank.

 

“Yes, baby. I’m all yours.” 

 

What the fuck was he saying? 

 

“Now, I’m just gonna go to the bathroom real quick and I’ll be right back. Then, we’ll start dinner. You must be starving.” Patrick nodded and reluctantly released his hold on the older man.

 

**

 

As the week progressed, Patrick only became more and more attached to Pete. The young neko was plagued with nightmares that only seemed to be relieved by Pete whispering soothing words and maintaining constant physical contact. It was now to the point where Pete had to leave to bathroom door open so Patrick could hover protectively in the doorway when he used the toilet or showered. As cute as this was at first it was quickly starting to fill Pete with a greater concern. Why would Patrick be so attached and possessive so quickly after meeting? When another week passed and the same behavior continued without sign of abatement, Pete decided that he really should confront Patrick about his emotional state.

 

Pete and Patrick were on the couch watching some random reality series on Bravo; Patrick, as usual, was curled tightly into Pete’s side and purring contently. Pete gazed down into his face and saw that, instead of watching the television set, he was staring off towards the window wearing a happy but glazed expression. Pete reached his unpinned arm over to tilt Patrick’s face to meet his eyes.

 

“Patrick, baby. I was hoping we could talk a little bit.” Patrick smiled up into Pete’s face, straightened up slightly and nodded.

 

“Sure Pete, anything you want I want.” His purring increased and the tip of his tail flicked off to his side.

 

“Well, I was just beginning to get a little worried about you, is all. You seem to have gotten really attached to me and don't like to be left alone. I just want to make sure you're doing okay. Is everything okay with you? Are you happy?”

 

Patrick’s smile quickly faded and was replaced with a furrowed brow and confused expression. “Pete, I’ve never in my entire life been happier. I love you. I need you.” Patrick looked up at Pete’s serious expression and started to get scared. “Oh my god, did I upset you? Did I do something wrong?” Patrick was quickly starting to escalate to a panicked state and Pete went to diffuse.

 

“Baby no! You did nothing wrong. Look,” Pete grabbed Patrick’s shoulders and had him face him directly. “I was just concerned. You seemed to have attached yourself to me quite deeply from almost the moment we met and I just wanted to make sure that you’re okay. What was your life like before you met me? What happened that made you need this so much?”

 

Patrick visibly relaxed once he understood that Pete was just curious and he was not in trouble or being rejected. He relaxed his shoulders and leaned into Pete once again.

 

“Well, I don’t remember being a kid too well. I don’t know where I was born but I remember living in a shelter with my mom and siblings. I think I had 2 sisters and 1 brother from the same litter. Maybe it was 2 brothers and 1 sister…I’m not too sure. When I was about 6 or 7 this family came to visit us in the shelter. This was odd but really exciting at the same time…cos we very rarely got to see anyone except the people that worked at the facility. It was a family…a man and woman and a girl and a boy. The kids were bigger than me but talked a lot to me and my siblings. I remember laughing and playing games and having a really good time with them. My mom stayed quiet the entire time…I remember she looked like she was afraid or worried. But it was so much fun meeting these new people. Anyways, after a while the family went to leave but the shelter workers told me to come with them. I was confused and then terrified when my mom started hissing and screaming to not take me. They took me down a hallway and explained that the family we met was going to take me home. Like, to their home. I didn’t understand what this meant or if I’d get to see my family again.

 

“So, I ended up living with this family. They were really rich and had a huge house. I was given tons of clothes and soft pillows to sleep on and plenty of food to eat. But they treated me like…like an animal. I guess I was their pet. Yeah, I got lots of things but I kinda felt like I was there for decoration or something. I’m not sure if I can explain properly. I didn’t feel loved and wanted…” Patrick looked into Pete’s eyes with tears starting to well. “It was nothing like how it is with you.”

 

Pete took Patrick’s hands and nodded for him to continue. Patrick took a steadying breath and started back up.

 

“So, I lived with them like this for a few years and after a while I adjusted. But there was this one night when I was around 15 that I woke up to screaming and being choked by smoke. Somehow the house had caught on fire. I watched the family rush around, gathering each other and making their way out…but they left me. They fucking left me in there to die, Pete. I don’t know how I managed but I was able to break out a window and get out. I ran into the forest that was behind the house and hid there as I watched the firefighters put the fire out. I fell asleep in the woods that night and waited there for almost a week and a half but my family never came back for me. I guess they assumed I burned to death in the house.” At this point tears are flowing freely down Patrick’s face and Pete is almost right there with him.

 

“By this point I knew I had to leave and find food. So I eventually wandered out and started to live on the streets for the next few years. It was so scary at first but eventually I learned the best areas to get food or shelter without getting caught. But I was sick of living like that and started thinking I should turn myself into one of the shelters. I almost did that…then you showed up.” Patrick beamed up at Pete.

 

“You saved me. You fed me and bathed me and gave clothes and you love me and treat me so well…and I love you, Pete. I love you with all my heart and I’m so grateful for everything. You’re like my guardian angel and I never wanna be without you!”

 

Pete wrapped his arms around Patrick so fast and so hard he may as well have been trying to squeeze the life out of the poor neko. Pete, now weeping desperately, covered Patrick’s face with a million kisses.

 

“Oh, my poor baby! Patrick, I promise I will never leave you! I promise that I will always take care of you, love you, adore you and give you every happiness that you deserve.”

 

Patrick pulled away slightly to look at Pete. “Really? You really promise this? That you’re really mine?”

 

“Patrick, I swear it.”

 

The neko pulled away a bit further now looking a bit lost and confused.

 

“Baby, what’s wrong? What happened? Tell me what you’re feeling.”

 

Patrick just shook his head slightly. His ears pointed off to opposite sides and the fur covering his ears and tail began to poof. “I…I’m not really sure. I feel…I feel…you know? I feel…I want…” Patrick looked back at Pete and slowly raised his hands to cover each side of his face and began to stroke his cheeks.

 

“Oh.” Pete mumbled, realizing what Patrick was experiencing and the gravity of the moment. Pete gazed deeply into Patrick’s face, taking everything in and considering his emotions. Before he could over think anything, he found Patrick was leaning forward tentatively, eyes starting to close. Pete matched his action, pulled Patrick close to him and pressed their lips together. Pete didn't want to rush this moment, no matter how desperately his heart was racing with excitement. He instead wanted to savor every second and commit them to memory. 

 

It was obvious that the young neko had ever done anything like this before. Patrick pressed his lips eagerly to Pete’s and moved them but kept his mouth closed. It was absolutely innocent and beautiful. Pete cupped his cheek with his right hand, the other moving to the back of his neck to add some slight pressure; moving him close while petting the soft hair at the back of his head. After a few minutes like this, Patrick pulled back a tiny bit to look at Pete with hazy, wanting eyes.

 

“Pete...What's happening? I...I just feel…” Pete smiled lovingly and pressed his lips against Patrick's once again. He was overcome with how much love he was feeling from Pete and couldn't help when he started to purr. Pete smiled into the kiss and could feel the vibrations travel into his own body from where they were pressed chest to hips. Pete pulled away by only a few inches, reached up with his left hand to grasp Patrick’s chin and pulled slightly. 

 

“Baby, open your mouth a little bit.”

 

Pete went back to pressing their lips together but this time Patrick opened his mouth slightly so Pete could softly lick his lips with his tongue. Patrick went completely still with that motion; eyes shooting open. Pete opened his eyes a bit to make sure he was okay with this and was able to watch the exact moment when something clicked in Patrick and he went into animal instinct autopilot. Trick’s eyes rolled back before closing and he dove into the kiss with a never before felt passion and excitement. It was sloppy and uncoordinated, typical of anyone's first kiss, but Pete was enthralled. He was patient and silently guided Patrick with slight movements. Trick’s tail curled around the dark man's waist as the neko shifted from sitting next to Pete and crawled into his lap while pawing at the back of his neck and kissing and biting his lips. 

 

After a while of making out on the couch, Pete pulled away and looked Patrick in the eyes. They sat there, gazing wondrously at one another and smiling. Pete leaned back to lie down flat on the couch and pulled Patrick to lie on his chest. After a few minutes they fell asleep to matching breaths and soft purrs.

 

Patrick didn’t have one nightmare that night.


	2. Chapter 2

Pete was roused from sleep in a very pleasant and yet quite unexpected manner. He was still on the couch, having fallen asleep there last night with Patrick curled up tightly at his side, but there was now a warm weight pressed down across his chest as he awoke from his slumber. Soft caresses were being placed to his face by delicate, wandering hands and he couldn’t help but smile at these sensations. He stayed still for a few more moments, basking in these glorious and languid motions; soft strokes along his face, tracing the line of his jaw, down his throat, across his broad chest, around his ribcage, down towards his pant covered hips and then repeating the path back up again. He smiled knowing Patrick was enjoying these motions as much as he was and hummed in deep appreciation. When he finally decided to open his eyes he was greeted by a wondrous sight. Patrick was leaning over him with a soft, sleepy, and utterly loving expression on his face as his hands continued their wanderings across the plains of his face and torso. Pete didn’t want to stop Patrick’s ministrations but couldn’t help but to reach up and wrap his arms around Patrick’s waist, pulling him closer.

“Mmm...good morning, my love. How are you feeling?” 

Patrick replied by smiling brightly, sitting up completely, moving from where he was perched besides Pete, throwing one of his legs over to straddle Pete’s waist and then leaned forward to lay himself flat against his chest. His ears were perked up straight, attentive and content, so they unintentionally brushed against Pete’s nose. The soft fur tickled him and he let out a small huff of breath against those furry ears. Patrick buried his head further into the crook of Pete’s neck, inhaling deeply while rubbing the side of his face a bit aggressively against the older man’s skin. 

Pete couldn’t help but laugh a little. “Marking your territory, little one?” 

He was only slightly joking. He had heard before that scenting was part of a neko’s nature. Patrick had definitely verbally staked his claim over Pete when his friends Andy and Joe last visited but it appears he wanted to prove his point further. 

Patrick stopped his motions and looked up into Pete’s eyes, an expression of slight surprise on his face. Pete reached up and started to pet the side of his head and neck, continuing to rub along where he assumed the small scent glands were located. “It’s okay, baby. I don’t mind. I quite like it, actually. I’m all yours, anyways, so feel free to do as you wish.”

Patrick grinned widely then leaned back down to kiss Pete. What started as a few light and chaste pecks on the lips started to grow as Pete wrapped his arms around Patrick’s waist again, pulling him closer. Pete placed a few soft licks to Patrick’s mouth, who responded quickly in kind. Patrick’s hands went up to Pete’s hair as his nails raked through his black locks scratching almost too harshly against his scalp; his purring increasing as their actions became more passionate.

It had been far too long since Pete had been in a relationship and he was enjoying the emotional and physical company of another person. Their connection may have happened fast, but it was so intense and so real. Pete was always an extremely tactile individual so his “overly eager” response to Patrick’s touchings was not an unexpected reaction. His tanned hands started to wander at this point; one pressing and scratching almost desperately into the small of Patrick's back while the other wandered down to knead the round of the neko’s ass. They continued to make out like this for a while, but better judgement started to seek its way into Pete's mind. As much he as he welcomed the warm, inviting press of their bodies/hands/mouths creating a never ending circuit of some sort of repetitive modern dance, he very reluctantly decided to halt their actions when he started to feel Patrick unconsciously grinding against his hips. He knew Trick had never kissed before last night and yeah, maybe the neko was just reacting off of some sort of basic animal instinct, but Pete was a gentleman at heart and he decided that unlike all of his previous (and mostly disastrous) sexual excursions, he wanted to take things a little slower with Patrick. This was not just for the inexperienced neko’s sake but his own as well. He wanted to prolong their courtship and enjoy each moment they had together for as long as possible.

Very (VERY, trust me) reluctantly, Pete removed his arms from where they were wrapped around Trick’s now writhing hips and braced them on his upper arms, pushing him upwards to establish eye contact. 

“Slow down, baby,” Pete panted while trying to catch his breath. “You don’t know what you’re doing yet,” (dear gods this was killing him)...”and we have all the time in the world to get there. Let’s just take some time and enjoy the journey, okay?” 

Patrick looked a little confused by Pete’s statement. His body was reacting purely by instinct but in all honesty his mind hadn’t quite caught up in understanding the process. However, he trusted Pete and wanted to do anything to make him happy and comfortable, even if it meant ceasing their current make out session. He smiled and laid back down on top of Pete’s chest, purring happily and hugging the tanned skinned man’s warmth as close as he could get. Pete closed his eyes breathing in the warm musky smell of Patrick’s fur and was once again lulled back to sleep by the hypnotic vibrations of Patrick’s breath.

**

When Pete woke up again, he found himself alone on the couch. He sat up slightly on his elbows and looked around, not seeing Patrick right away and frowned. There was a slight charring smell in the air which was out of place and confusing to his his not-yet-awake mind but when when he realized the smell was something burning he shot straight up into a sitting position and called out for Patrick.

“Trick! Where are you?!”

Right as he was about to stand up to bolt out of the room to find his neko and figure out what was burning, Patrick walked back into the living room. Pete closed his eyes momentarily and heaved a heavy sigh of relief as he then watched the happy boy walk towards him. He was grinning contentedly while carrying a plate and a can of diet Coke.

“Hi Pete!” he squeaked excitedly. “I cooked you breakfast!”

Patrick sat down on the floor in front of where Pete was sitting on the couch and proudly presented him with a plate of buttered toast and a can of diet soda.

“I messed up a few at first and had to try a few times but these turned out okay. Do you like it?” Patrick was beaming, obviously proud of himself for “cooking” breakfast for his human. Pete’s heart both stopped and positively swelled with love for this boy.

“Trickydoll, you did so good! How did you know I love toast?” Yeah, so maybe buttered toast wasn’t that big of a deal but it was one of the sweetest gestures anyone had ever done for Pete. None of the other people he had dated ever bothered to make him “breakfast in bed” even if they were definitely capable of doing far more than use a toaster and Pete definitely did want to allow minor details like that to take away from the effect of this grand gesture. 

Pete took the plate from Trick and picked up a piece of toast, taking a big bite as Patrick watched expectantly. He closed his eyes and hummed loudly and appreciatively. And yeah, okay, maybe Pete’s reaction was a little played up for Patrick’s benefit but he wanted to make sure his expression of deep felt gratitude came through. 

“Mmm! The toast is PERFECT, Tricky!” he said as he licked his lips and opened his eyes again to look into Patrick’s expectant face. 

The neko looked so happy.

“Yay! I’m glad you like it, Petey!” Patrick then popped the tab on the can of diet Coke. “I didn’t know how to use the coffee maker so I couldn’t make that but I got this!”

Patrick’s affinity for “fizzy drinks” was something Pete had discovered quickly after they settled in together. Pete generally wasn’t that much of a soda drinker but when he found out how much Patrick enjoyed almost any carbonated beverage (diet only because, as Patrick explained, they tasted more thirst quenching and didn't make his teeth feel so funny afterwards) he made sure to always keep a stock of a few of the neko’s favorite varieties. In general, Pete found Patrick’s taste in food and drink a little odd. Being a neko, he assumed that he would have a predilection towards a more carnivorous diet. I mean, after all, neko were like cats, right? They would be meat eater, right? Turned out that Patrick’s preferred diet was pretty strictly plant based with only a small amount of dairy intake. Being lactose intolerant was, in fact, typically feline in that respect. While Trick loved yogurt and ice cream, he did experience gastrointestinal discomfort if eaten in large quantities. So while Pete did his best to always keep the kitchen full of Patrick's favorite foods and drinks, he also made sure they were also appropriate and properly digestible. 

Patrick had now climbed up to the couch to sit beside Pete and was hand feeding him bits of torn off toast as he gazed lovingly at his human. Pete wasn't too fond of being pliantly fed but allowed the neko to indulge in his whim. When the last of the bread was eaten, Pete placed the cleared plate and the now empty soda can on the coffee table.

“So Tricky baby...I was thinking we would go to the mall today. I’d like to get you your own wardrobe and some presents. What do you say?” Pete nuzzled his head into Patrick's neck to help further his idea into fruition. 

This effort proved to be unnecessary as Patrick clapped his hands excitedly. “Really? Ooo, that sounds like fun! I used to go to stores with my last owners but not all that often. I usually had to stay home.”

Pete’s smile instantaneously dropped. He suddenly felt like he had been punched in the gut at those words. “Trick, let me make one thing clear,” Pete said very seriously as he grabbed his face for more attention. “I am, in NO WAY, your owner. What we have...what I want you to have with me...it’s nothing like those other people, okay? You are your own person and you can choose to do whatever you want, even if that means leaving me. Now, I really hope you don’t wish to leave because I love you and want to take care of you but I need you to know that you are not ‘owned’, got it?”

Tears started to form in Patrick’s eyes as he nodded. Pete beamed a huge smile. 

“Good. I love you. Now let’s go have a fun day.”

**

Taking Patrick to the mall proved to be rather interesting and insightful. While the neko was quite content to continue using Pete’s clothing (he adored being able to be wrapped in Pete's scent), he was also very enthusiastic in the adventure of choosing his own new wardrobe. They spent hours and hours browsing through most of the clothing stores in the mall. There were so many to choose from: Old Navy, Target, Macy’s…Pete was especially mindful to purchase almost everything that piqued Patrick’s interest while also making sure that any other needed accessories and personal items were also bought. There was an interesting moment after several sets of undergarments were purchased (boxers in every imaginable design since that’s what Patrick was accustomed to) when they passed by a Victoria’s Secret. Trick was instantly drawn to the store and wanted to see what it was. Pete, a little hesitantly, agreed but advised that it was a store for women's undergarments and apparel; however, Patrick still wanted to look around. Apparently, some of the less risque neglige and sleep sets really interested him and while Pete was a little confused at first he quickly shrugged it off and relented by indulging him in a couple of the sets he liked the most. 

Several hours and 10 LARGE shopping bags later, Pete found himself being dragged into a Bath and Body Works at the other end of the mall. The neko’s heightened sense of smell had been detecting the store a while ago and when the storefront came into view he was so excited. Scented washes and lotions was another thing that Trick loved so Pete was powerless against the neko’s furry enthusiasm as he was pulled into the shop. The boy quickly set out to smell every single product so Pete, weighed down by way too many bags, simply stood off to the side while Patrick had his fun. One of the sales associates presented Trick with a blue mesh shopping tote, explaining the current sales and promotions going on while Patrick bounced excitedly. He quickly started to fill the tote with all of the items he wanted, every so often running over to the corner where Pete was standing in to show him another product and making him smell. Pete killed time in between by scrolling through his phone and posting candid shots of Patrick on his Instagram. A lot of the pictures he captured were blurry but there were a few choice ones that he couldn’t help but post onto his social media accounts. He was a little distracted by his thoughts so he didn’t notice that someone had approached him until they started to speak to him.

“Pete? Hey, how have you been?”

Pete quickly pocketed his phone and turned to face the person that addressed him.

Oh crap. 

“Sara? Oh, um, hey. I’m good.” Shit. The last thing he wanted to deal with right now was running into his ex-girlfriend. Things did not end well between them and he hadn’t heard or seen her since the split happened 6 months ago. He cast a few glances around trying to figure out where Trick was located. He knew the kid was waaayyyyy too possessive and wasn't sure if Patrick would put on the possessive display again in public. Pete, unsure if this was going to be bad or not, kept his guard up.

Sara looked Pete over and then noticed the pile of large shopping bags that surrounded his feet. “Been busy shopping today?” she asked with a raised eyebrow. “Huh. You always hated the mall. And Bath and Body Works? You hate coming to this place. Are you here with someone or something?”

Pete was internally livid. But before he had a chance to answer Sara's inquiry, Patrick came bouncing back over to him, squeaking excitedly about yet another fragrance he had discovered.

“Pete! Petey! Smell THIS one! THIS one is my new favorite! Smell it! Smell it!” he chirped while shoving a bottle of Warm Vanilla Sugar lotion under his nose. Pete inhaled and smiled stiffly. It was then that Patrick noticed the woman standing a mere few inches from Pete. She was standing FAR too close to his human and his face dropped. 

“Um, Pete? Who is this?” he asked quietly so only Pete was able to hear. 

Sara’s face lit up when she took in Patrick's fuzzy and excited form. “Oh my god, Pete! Who is this little cutie?” She immediately reached out and started to pet him between the ears.

Patrick ducked his head and looked at Pete with a firm expression. He was NOT amused.

“Trickydoll, this is Sara. We used to be, um...friends. Good friends. Well, actually..she used to be my girlfriend but we broke up awhile ago. She saw me standing here and came over to say hello.”

Sara clapped her hands excitedly. “Oh, Pete he’s so adorable! When did you get him?” She reaches out again to tug in his shirt collar while trying to scratch him under the chin. The man-handling was beyond degrading but Patrick held his composure unsure if this was what Pete expected from him. 

“You always used to say how you didn’t want to adopt any pets. What made you change your mind?”

Patrick’s ears drooped and his tail immediately dropped between his legs. He hung his head and whimpered, looking completely heartbroken. Pete was sure he was about to start crying and he just snapped.

“Listen you bitch,” Pete sneered as Sara flinched. “Patrick isn’t a fucking pet. We’re together,okay. He is the kindest and most giving person I have met in my entire life and I can't believe you have the nerve to disrespect and belittle him like that. God, you DISGUST me. Thanks for reminding me why we broke up.” Pete them turned to Patrick, taking him in his arms and hugging him tightly while breathing in his slightly musky scent.

“Baby, have you found everything you wanted? I think we should head out now.” Patrick nodded his head against Pete’s shoulder and was able to feel the neko’s shaking calm down minutely.

**

When they got back to Pete’s apartment, they organized and put away all of Patrick’s new clothes and went about making a simple pasta dinner. Patrick still seemed a little disconnected and down from the unfortunate confrontation with Sara at Bath and Body Works but was slowly starting to cheer back up as the night progressed. Pete’s constant attention and affectionate touches seemed to make up for the nasty interaction earlier at the mall.

Once dinner was done and the dishes were rinsed and placed in the dishwasher, Pete grabbed a beer and headed to his office to finish a very badly neglected article whose deadline was quickly approaching. Adjusting to life with Patrick had become his first priority since he found the neko rummaging in a dumpster and while he wanted nothing more than to watch mindless reality television and make out with his new boyfriend, he knew he HAD to attend to his job if he had any intention of getting the monthly bills paid.

He worked diligently for 4 hours straight and managed to complete the entire article and email the final draft to his editor. He left the computer on awaiting the reply from his boss confirming the piece was received and went back into the kitchen to grab another beer and check in on Patrick. He had left the blonde haired man curled up on the couch watching the Food Network but at this time he was nowhere to be seen. Pete then decided to check the bathroom and master bedroom but didn’t find him there either. As he was leaving to go back into the living room he heard some soft meowing coming from his office. When he walked in, he found Patrick sitting on the floor in front of the bookshelf looking up at him with a soft glazed expression on his face as he returned. 

“Here you are, I was looking all over for you. Have you been here the entire time?” Pete had left the door halfway open while he worked so he could hear if Patrick called for him. He must have been too absorbed in his work to notice when he came in.

“Yeah, I sneaked in a little while ago. I didn’t want to bother you but I missed you. I don’t like it when I can’t see you.” Patrick looked at him meekly, obviously a little embarrassed for admitting his clinginess but Pete just smiled and hugged him.

“Aww, baby I’m sorry. I just had to finish this article. Trust me, not being able to reach out and touch you every spare second I have is pure torture. But I need to make sure I get paid. Now that you’re here I have to make sure I live up to being a good provider.” Pete smiled widely and buried his face into Patrick’s hair. “Mmm, you smell so good, baby. Are you wearing some of that new body splash you bought today?”

Patrick nodded while burrowing his little body closer into Pete’s. As expected, he started to purr; body vibrating with each breath. Pete sat back against the bookshelf and took a pull from his beer. Trick, smelling the beverage’s strange aroma, looked at the bottle in Pete’s hand.

“What is that kind of fizzy drink? It smells weird.”

“Oh, this is a beer. It’s a special kind of fizzy drink that people over the age of 21 get sometimes.” Pete grinned and booped Patrick on the nose with his free hand. “That means you’re supposed to wait a couple more years.” Pete grinned at his teasing but Patrick just put on a determined face and made grabby hands for the bottle.

“I just wanna try it. Why do you have to be 21 to drink this? I have root beer all the time so what’s so special about this?”

Pete couldn’t help but grin. “Ok, here take a taste. Trust me, this is NOTHING like root beer.”

Patrick looked triumphant as he took the bottle from Pete’s hand and took a very large swig. He swallowed, a strange almost blank expression on his face and looked back at Pete. “I think I like root beer better.”

“That’s what I thought.”

**

“Come on, Tricky. We gotta get going. Are you almost ready?” Pete called out to Patrick who was finishing up getting dressed. They were heading over to Joe and Andy’s house to hang out and have some lunch. Patrick hadn’t seen Pete’s friends since that primary encounter on his first day home and Pete really wanted him to get comfortable with his friends. Patrick was nervous and hesitant about going over to their place but agreed to it nonetheless since it seemed rather important to his boyfriend. He still felt wildly possessive when it came to Pete and it was difficult to refrain from emitting a low growl at anyone that came to close to him whenever they went out in public so acting appropriately in front of Pete's friends was possibly going to prove to be an issue.

“Yeah, I’m ready. Do I look okay?” Patrick walked into the living room wearing one of the new outfits they bought at the mall. It was a simple ensemble; black jeans, a shirt and hoodie. And while Patrick loved having his own things, he wasn’t keen on the fact that his new clothes didn’t have Pete’s comforting smell on them. 

Pete could see the nervousness on his boyfriend’s face and took him into his arms. “You look amazing and they are going to love you as much as I do.” Pete pulled away for a moment to gaze at the neko.

“Well...maybe not quite like I do because you’re MINE.” Pete rasped the last word out close to Patrick’s ear and that was the magic trick. The neko immediately went soft in Pete’s arms, tilting his head to the side and mewled. Pete bend his head down, licked the side of Trick’s neck by the crook of his jawline and hummed deeply. 

**

By the time they arrived to Joe and Andy’s house, Patrick was smiling and no longer nervous. The pair were late but Pete, sensing Patrick’s need for comfort, took a little time to make out with him, rubbing his scent over Trick and placing small love bites around his collarbone. They were easily covered by Patrick’s shirt but just knowing the claim marks were there made the blonde haired boy feel safer.

Pete rang the doorbell to his friend’s home and waited. Patrick had his hand wrapped tightly around his wrist but he seemed relaxed for the most part. When the door opened, they were greeted by Joe’s trademark exuberance.

“PEEEEEEEETEEEEEE!!! You finally made it!” The taller man latched onto Pete in a full bodied bear hug and squeezed tightly. Patrick’s nervousness started to resurface.

“Oh my fucking god, Joseph would you PLEASE unclench! You’re going to freak Patrick out.” Andy said as he appeared in the doorway behind his husband and proceeded to physically push him back into the house. “Come on in and I’m so sorry about Joe. He’s just really excited for you guys to be coming over. He actually spent all morning cleaning. Can you believe it?” 

They all assembled into the lushly decorated living room. They had a HUGE cream leather sectional that took up the length of the entire far wall and a 70 inch flat screen television mounted on the wall opposite. Other than that the decor was sparse and plain; some Hot Topic funko collectables, books, a couple of very large pet beds were off to the side, and a few framed pictures of their wedding and even more of the various pets they’re rescued over the years. Andy worked as a nurse at a local urgent care facility and Joe as a vet tech for a private avian and exotic center in the city. They all met in college; Andy and Pete were in their final year of pre-med and journalism (respectively) while Joe was starting off his first semester after graduating a year early from high school. Andy and Joe hit it off right away and immediately became an item with them finally marrying once Joe was finished with his school. 

As the time passed, Patrick became more and more comfortable, contributing to conversation often. Pete kept a hand on some part of his boyfriend; as much for Patrick’s benefit as his own. Joe was a gracious host, always bringing out various snacks and making sure everyone’s drinks were always filled. Eventually, they ended up turning on Netflix and watching the last season of Trailer Park Boys (“Oh my GOD, Pete, I can’t believe you didn’t know that came out! Okay, you gotta watch at least a couple episodes. Dude, Randy and Lahey are AWESOME this season!” Joe was quite the fan of the show.) They were all engrossed in watching the second episode of season 10 when their concentration was interrupted by Patrick gasping followed by several meows.

They all turned to the blonde neko to find that Andy and Joe’s 2 cats (a black male named Floki and a ginger tabby named Ragnar) had trotted into the room and hopped onto Patrick’s lap, meowing loudly at him. Pete turned to face his boyfriend and watch as he replied with several meows of his own before the three of them collapsed in a purring pile on the seat next to him.

Andy was absolutely fascinated. “Holy shit. Can they understand each other?”

Pete looked confused. “Dude, I have no idea. It looks that way, though.” Pete turned his attention to his boyfriend who was rolling around with the 2 cats. “Hey Tricky, can you, like, talk to cats or something?”

Patrick looked up, blinking lazily at Pete and shook his head. “Not really...but I can understand their vibes. Cats don’t talk. They only meow for the benefits of their humans. But I can understand bits what they are trying to relate. I dunno how to explain it.”

“You know,” Andy address to Pete, “I’m definitely going to contact that old colleague that specializes in neko patients. I’ll find out what I can and let you know what I find out. May help your relationship, too. Oh, and don’t let me forget to give you the contact info for that other doctor i told you about...the one with the family practice? Just in case Trick ever gets sick or anything. It’s good to have someone just in case.”

Patrick sat up in his seat as the 2 cats then decided to jump off and wander into the kitchen when a strange clacking sound followed by an unceremonious sqwak was heard. He turned to see a white umbrella cockatoo waddling into the room, wings outstretched and crest puffed up to it’s full height when it caught sight of the people in the living room. Patrick climbed into Pete’s lap, shaking and at full alert.

“Oh man, I forgot about her.” Joe said, addressing the parrot. “That’s just Siggy. She has free range of the house. Don’t worry about her, she won’t do a thing to you. She’s just being a brat right now cos there are strangers in here. Siggy, come here girly.” The cockatoo squawked and waddled over to Joe, standing by his feet and pulling at his pant legs with her beak. He picked the bird up and let her perch on his leg and started to scratch her head. She seemed to almost be purring. “Come here, Trick. She likes to be pet.”

Patrick’s curiosity and attraction to animals won ou and he went over to sit beside Joe and pet the large cockatoo. Siggy seemed to really enjoy this and hopped off of Joe’s lap to sit with Patrick who was beaming with happiness at his new friend. 

Andy and Pete looked at each other and shared a smile. The red haired man clapped a hand on Pete’s shoulders and chuckled. “Well, it looks like everyone's getting along well. Let’s go get lunch started.”

**


	3. Chapter 3

Becoming a full fledged, fully functional “responsible adult” and “good provider” was not a status that Pete thought would occur in his early 20’s...or AT ALL for that matter, really. For the most part, his entire college career could be described as more or less a four year run of natural talent coupled with a healthy dose of dumb luck. He was one of those people that was inherently gifted and found quick success in any avocation he showed an interest in. Consequently, Pete rarely, if ever, struggled in his regular studies and was therefore mostly exempt from having to suffer the crushing anxiety of needing to maintain a certain GPA to avoid losing his scholarship, much less the mind numbing fear that he would flunk out altogether. He didn't need to engage in endless sessions of “burning the midnight oil”; cramming desperately for the hope of at least a passing grade. Nah, he was one of those savants that would breeze by with barely a note taken during class and yet still consistently received a 95% or higher on every exam, paper, project, or presentation. Sure, he had a mountain of schoolwork and responsibilities, but since success always came so easily for him, there was never the overwhelming accompaniment of WORRY or ANXIETY or CONCERN that seemed to plague everyone else. He had witness many a soul break down from the wearing stress and cry endlessly over their struggles and fear of possible failure. Pete was empathetic and always did his best to lend a shoulder to cry on and help out as much as he could, expending more effort in trying to be an emotional support to his friends and classmates than he ever would put forth in the actual assignment. While all of all of his peers were out there busting ass, studying with every spare moment outside of class or whatever shitty job they had to work in order to supplement their suffocating college experience, Pete “Peter Pan” Wentz was able to enjoy his spare time by joining any and every local band in the scene. 

“Band Whore” was a title he happily accepted with a smirk and a wink. 

But don't take things the wrong way. It wasn't like Pete took his natural talents at excelling in university lightly and he most definitely did not take it for granted. He wasn't some over privileged, entitled rich kid whose Mommy and Daddy were quick to bail out and rescue at the first sign of trouble (well, TECHNICALLY he was but he never revealed that truth or engaged in behaviors that would necessitate him calling in that favor). He was fully aware and thoroughly conscious of the blessed nature of his existence and was undeniably grateful for it. 

Pete's enchanted luck continued to follow him past graduation and into his aspiring vocation. How many people manage to finish school, graduating with flying colors and then get to make a living (a comfortable one at that) by taking freelance jobs IN WRITING? He was getting paid to do something he absolutely loved and was able to make his own schedule and even got to work from home. 

Lady Luck took a shining to Pete and always seemed to be gifting him with the absolute best she had to offer. 

So this feeling of RESPONSIBILITY and CONCERN and ANXIETY that came with accepting Patrick into his life was a very new experience for Pete. He started feeling the first tickles of these emotions probably a mere five minutes after he first laid eyes on Patrick that fateful day behind his friend’s coffee shop when this sweet, filthy kid ate a blueberry muffin from his hand and then buried himself into his chest. These emotions only continued to grow more intense as time passed. Pete now had an actual reason to sail away from his home world of Neverland in order to grow up, and he dove into this new role wholeheartedly. 

The downside to becoming a “responsible adult” and “good provider” was that this meant he was now accepting more job offers which resulted in spending less time with Patrick. While this bummed Pete out, he was grateful that he at least got to work from home for the most part. So, it wasn't that bad really. Yeah, he now had to go to regular meetings and pop into various publication offices several times a week, but that usually only lasted half a day. Plus, on some of those days he didn't even have to dress in actual business attire. 

Really...not bad at all. 

**

Patrick had always displayed a fierce amount of possessiveness towards Pete but once he became settled in his new home, he started to chill out and seemed pretty secure in their relationship. Generally speaking, he was rather complacent and docile; always opting to do whatever Pete wanted and doing whatever he could to keep the older man feeling happy and cared for. Patrick took great pride and pleasure in his constant doting on Pete. 

Then there was that one day that Pete came home smelling strongly like “others”.

The first time Pete had to leave Patrick for an entire work day ended up in near disaster. The neko had become accustomed to Pete having to leave the house for a few hours here and there so the idea of an entire day alone didn’t really phase him. He used the time to clean up the entire place and plan out what to make for dinner (he was still a novice when it came to using the kitchen appliances so this was basically just a call over to Joe asking for the number to Pete’s favorite delivery place). When 6pm came around, Patrick waited in the living room, excited to greet his boyfriend after a long day at work. 6:22pm was displayed on the clock when he could hear Pete’s tell-tale footsteps from down the other end of the corridor soon followed by the keys opening up the lock of the front door. Patrick shot up, throwing himself into Pete’s arms but as soon as they hugged, Patrick reared back and fell to the floor as if he had been slapped. Pete looked down at the wide eyed neko in confusion, asking him what was wrong. Patrick immediately crouched defensively, ears flattened on top of his head and just started hissing. Pete was vividly reminded of that first day they met in the alley and color drained from his face. 

“Trick? Baby, what the fuck happened? What’s wrong?” 

Patrick stood up to full height and bristled. “You SMELL! You smell like OTHERS!” Patrick inclined his head and sniffed the air, mouth slightly opened to allow the scents to wash into his vomeronasal organ. 

In doing so, Patrick was able to catalog all of the scents of the strangers that Pete had interacted with that day. There was an office party celebrating the birthday of Diane, the head office administrative assistant, that Pete attended even though he didn't really know most of the staff since he only popped in intermittently. He had become a little friendly with Diane, though, since he always had to check in with her in the days he came by. Because of the party, he encountered more introductions, handshakes, and hugs than he would ever normally engage in. Patrick could identify almost every single physical interaction that Pete had encountered but there was one particularly disturbing smell that lingered. A female...strongly floral with a pungent back beat of sweat and fertility.

A mating pheromone. 

Estrus. 

Patrick completely lost his shit.

It was the first time Pete experienced the neko’s dangerously feral temper. Patrick was inconsolable, far beyond reason. He went post verbal and resorted to growls and screams, throwing random objects and prowling every inch of the apartment touching and scenting anything he could reach. Pete understood what was going on and remained surprisingly calm, watching Patrick in silence before slinking off to the bathroom to shed his clothes and take a shower. When he emerged, Patrick had thankfully calmed down and was sitting on the bed crooning sorrowfully to himself. Pete buried his work clothes at the bottom of the hamper (making a mental note to do an emergency load of laundry later that night) and quickly dressed himself in the sleep clothes he had used the night before. He wrapped his arms around Patrick, drawing him close but the neko remained rigid. Patrick oscillated his head from side to side and once he was sure that all of those disturbing smells were no longer clinging to his boyfriend, he finally relaxed into Pete's embrace. After composing himself for a few minutes, Trick’s reason and speech started to return and they were able to discuss the matter.

They ended up skipping dinner that night and instead spent the night kissing, marking, and rutting against each other; bathing in each other’s scents. There was one significantly inspirational moment where Pete, both in the throws of desperate desire and the need to comfort his neko, rolled Patrick onto his stomach, grabbed a fistful of hair and firmly bit at the back of the boy’s neck. Trick stilled instantly so Pete continued more firmly and started growling in his ear...muttering MINE over and over again. That seemed to be the solution to that issue. So since then, whenever Pete had a meeting or knew he would have to be at the office for a significant amount of time, he made sure to use this same technique before leaving. It reassured Patrick knowing that his Pete would smell like him and even if Pete came home smelling like “others” again, it would be mingled and diluted by Patrick’s own strong claim scents.

It didn't solve the issue with Patrick's possessiveness, but it helped keep possible future temper tantrums in check. 

**

With all this newfound determination and grown up responsibilities taken into consideration, it shouldn’t have been surprising that Pete didn’t notice when Patrick started acting a little “off”. Not at first, at least. Eventually, Pete did notice that Patrick seemed quieter, more lethargic, and was found to be napping often, even before bedtime. Other than those few symptoms, he seemed perfectly healthy. Pete tried to keep from jumping to conclusions or thinking the worst was about to happen. I mean, sleeping a little bit more than usual or having to take several naps throughout the day wasn’t a big deal, right? Pete did have a few fleeting moments where he wondered if this wasn’t the manifestation of some depression in Patrick. Pete wasn’t a stranger to depression in the slightest. Before turning to the luxurious career of freelance journalism and part time aspiring author, he was definitely a well known and much recognized “Queen of the Scene”, playing his bleeding heart out in any local band that would let him put his every thought out on stage (lyrical assassin, indeed). 

But Patrick, for the most part, just seemed peaceful and content despite his odd sleeping schedule and lethargy and he never appeared fidgety or upset. Perhaps Pete was being a little too overprotective or overly dramatic.

Typical.

Pete surprised himself, though. Who would have ever thought (himself included) that the most self centered person he knew could be so actively involved in the care of another person? Accepting someone and loving them unconditionally was certainly opening Pete’s world up to a whole new level of selflessness and understanding.

He reluctantly comes to the reasonable conclusion that he’s just being overprotective and over stressed. He's been working insane hours (for him, at least), stressing over deadlines and bills and Patrick. He wasn't used to this type of lifestyle and probably just needed chill out and relieve some stress. 

Deciding that a venting session may help, Pete called up Joe to get together for “therapeutic guy time” during his lunch break on one of the days he had to go into the publisher’s office. Out of all of Pete’s friends, Andy and Joe were the only ones he ever felt 100% comfortable being his true self around. With them, he could easily open up and was never made to feel insecure or in any way judged, no matter what type of bat shit craziness came out of his mouth. Andy was the guy he went to when he needed to have a patient and avid listener. There were times when Pete needed to manically spew his poetic diatribes or carry on some angst fueled soliloquy just for the sake of purging the mental diarrhea from his mind. He didn’t always need a solution to a problem...sometimes just a stoically silent listener was what was in order. More often than not, Pete turned to Andy for conversation but today he needed something a bit more two sided. That’s where Joe’s conversational skills excelled. Joe had a more interactive approach and enjoyed playing Devil’s Advocate with clear precision and wit. Joe may not always have the best ideas or know all the answers, but he was a great sidekick to co-navigate any given philosophical journey.

When Pete finished the morning meeting over at the New Times, he headed out of downtown to meet up with Joe at the Starbucks located in the strip mall next to the vet office he worked at. Normally, Pete preferred to frequent local businesses or Mom-N-Pop joints but he was willing to put aside his trade politics in order to hang out with his best friend. When Pete walked into the coffee house, he glanced around and noticed that Joe had not yet arrived so he went to the counter to place his order. At quick glance, the options on the menu board seemed daunting so he just opted for something simple. When his venti iced coffee (black with three splenda...what the fuck was up with all of these confusing accoutrements?) was ready, he made a bee-line for a vacant table located in the back corner of the establishment. He took the rear seat so he could face out towards the front door and keep an eye out for an unmistakably unruly afro. He slowly sipped his beverage while scrolling through Tumblr to kill some time. After a few minutes of caffeine fueled dank meme hunting, Pete was greeted with a whoosh of air tinted with the tell-tale scent of medical antiseptic and pot.

“Motherfucking P-Weezy, what’s shaking, sexy?” Joe exclaimed while clapping him roughly on the shoulder.

“Trohmosexualis! As I live and breathe!” Pete chirped in reply as he pushed his seat back to stand up and wrap his friend in a proper bear hug.

“Man, it feels like I haven’t seen you in years. I was starting to forget how fucking ugly your face is.” Joe beamed as he tightly hugged back his friend. “I’ma go get me a coffee. It’s been a fucking LONG day. I was paged to come in at 5am for an emergency call and it has been non-stop since then. Hey, you want anything else while I’m up there or are you good with just that?”

“Nah, I already ate so I’m fine.”

“Okay man, I’ll be right back.”

When Joe returned a few minutes later (with a panini and some blended concoction topped with a healthy dose of whipped cream and covered in caramel drizzle...seriously, what the fuck?), Joe immediately cut to the chase knowing all too well that Pete needed to work something out.

“Okay Petey-Pie, let’s cut the pleasantries and just get down to business.” Joe sat up straight and folded his hands on top of the table in a mock display of professionalism. “What brings you to my office today?”

Pete couldn't help but laugh. Joe always had an infallible way of diffusing the seriousness of a situation so easily. “Damn Joe, I haven't even said a single word and you're already making me realize how unnecessarily I'm overreacting.”

Joe picked up his drink and took a long sip while squinting his eyes and staring at Pete appraisingly. “Well, perhaps,” Joe said as he put his drink back down on the table. “But tell me what's up anyways. It's been FOREVER since we talked and I need some new roast material from you.”

“I fucking hate you, bitch.” 

“I know. Now come on, tell ya boy what's up.” Joe said sweetly as he patted Pete's hand. 

Pete went ahead and just started rambling about all the changes his life had been going through and the veritable roller coaster of emotions he had been experiencing while Joe listened in uncharacteristic yet companionable silence. Some of Andy’s calm and focused nature must finally be rubbing off on him after all those years of marriage. 

“Sounds like you already need a vacation.” Joe grinned when Pete paused his rant to take a breath. “I'm kinda serious. I've never seen you so...I dunno. Like, my little boy is all grown up now or something.”

Pete snorted loudly. “Bitch, I'm like five years older than you! What the fuck?”

“You know what I mean.” Joe smiled warmly sitting back in his chair. “So, how's Patrick? Everything good with you guys?”

Pete’s smirk faded into a soft smile. “Good, we're good. I think. I mean...ugh, Joe. I feel like I haven't seen him in ages and I’m starting to think he's unhappy. I've noticed he's been sleeping a lot lately. But like, A LOT. I'm scared maybe he's going through some depression or something but I don't know how to talk to him about it.”

“Well, the kid has had a super rough life and has never had stability before.” Joe stated. “He's mad attached to you, also. Maybe he's just going through a little bit of separation anxiety now that your work schedule has increased. You know, all jokes aside, maybe a mini vacation wouldn't be a bad idea. It'll help to reinforce the fact that you're not abandoning him and it'll help for you to relieve stress by reconnecting physically. I'm sure your love life has slowed down since the work has picked up.”

Pete grimaced slightly and grumbled. “Hmph, I'd have to have a sex life to start with for it to slow down.”

Joe froze and almost dropped his coffee on the table. “What?! Wait, you guys haven't, um...I mean...you haven't…”

“No, Joe. We haven't had sex.”

Joe just continued to stare at Pete with his mouth slightly opened and wearing a wildly confused expression. 

“I mean, we're INTIMATE and stuff but yeah...no. Nothing below the belt except for some dry humping that just leaves me with a raging boner for days.”

Joe just kept on staring. 

“I don't even know if the kid is like, wired for sex or something and I sure as hell don't want to rush him or pressure him into something he's not prepared for. He really seems to enjoy making out and everything and so do I, but ugh...I feel like I'm suffering from the worst case of blueball-itis and I can't even jerk off cos he's always around and doing that just feels inappropriate or something and...oh my god, Joe. It's like, I've been getting laid on the regular since I was in high school and now I'm on this semi self imposed dry streak. And it sucks so bad cos I am REALLY attracted to Trick. He just drives me crazy. Oh man, he does this thing with his tongue when we make out and I can just IMAGINE how good it would feel if he did that to my-”

“OH MY GOD, DUDE! STOP RIGHT THERE, PLEASE!”

Pete was startled out of his manic monologue and back to reality. “Oh shit, I'm sorry. This is not the kind of conversation you want to engage in, is it?”

Joe finally managed to snap out of his shocked expression and tried to compose himself by fiddling with the straw of his coffee. “Well, I think we can safely conclude the cause of all your recent stress, perhaps?”

Pete shrugged his shoulders with a sheepishly shy look on his face. “Um, yeah I suppose so. Shit. I didn't mean to be so stereotypically male but I guess there is a bit of ‘sexual tension’ to be blamed.”

“You know,” Joe started. “Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to cut back on some of the writing gigs. It's not like you'll ever really be hurting for cash or anything and maybe spending more time together would help with both your funks.”

“Probably. You know, Joe...you may prove useful after all.”

**

Pete decided to act on some of Joe’s words of wisdom and ended up scaling back on the number of writing assignments that he accepted. Money wasn’t really an issue. He had a considerable nest egg already, both from placing unused earnings in savings as well as a generous starting fund gifted by his parents after graduation. Pete lived simply and never had an extravagant lifestyle so it was easy to save up. He could tell right away how much this decision pleased Patrick, even if the kid did his best to never express any type of displeasure in the first place. There were more soft, beaming smiles, more doting affection, more longing gazes. Pete made sure to take Patrick out to as many places as possible to make up for the endless weeks he had to be left alone in the apartment while Pete either left to attend meetings or was holed up in his office typing out drafts after draft for a pending deadline. If Pete had been the one to be left alone, he would have been beyond stir crazy after the first day of being cooped up inside the same four walls with very little distraction. For Patrick, the added activity and stimulation seemed to excite and electrify him, but by the end of each of their days together he would fall into a deep and bone-weary sleep. In Pete’s opinion, Patrick was much more exhausted than any of their activities should warrant. Pete took ample notes of any minor detail of Patrick’s health and behaviour just in case something was amiss and not just the product of his overactive imagination and penchant for the dramatics.

After a while, Patrick’s increase in sleep did start up again, but this time it was to the point where it was definitely impossible to ignore. After about three days of almost non-stop napping, Pete tried to address the matter. They were sitting on the couch early one evening, Patrick’s eyelids falling heavily as they watched The Great British Baking Show (one of Patrick’s absolute FAVORITES). His furry ears were lopped of to either side of his head and his breathing had turned to deep and steady inhalations mixed with the typical rumbling purr that always accompanied. 

“Trick? Hey, Trickydoll. Wake up, baby. Come on,” Pete said as he poked lightly, but rather determinedly, at Patrick’s side to ensure his voice wasn’t ignored. Patrick, always one to evade the disruption of sleep, grumbled out his annoyance while attempting to swat away the incessant pokes that Pete was delivering. Pete, however, was quite determined not to be ignored. 

“Baby, seriously,” he spoke in a much louder and firmer voice while he started to shake Patrick’s shoulders. “I really need you to wake up for a second. Don’t pretend you can’t hear me. That’s not very nice, Tricky.”

Patrick, rather than continue to fight fruitlessly against his boyfriend’s relentlessness, cracked open his eyes with a scowl and crawled into Pete’s lap. The neko settled himself securely, legs bracketing either side of Pete’s thighs, wrapping arms tightly around his neck, and buried his face into the dark haired man’s chest. Pete closed his eyes and took a deep breath to train his patience and wrapped his own arms around Patrick’s back. Patrick released a soft mewl of contentment, settling his backside more firmly on Pete’s lap as his tail curled off to the side and stilled. Deciding it would probably prove ineffectual to try and have any sort of reasonable discussion while Patrick was this obviously out for the night (again), Pete relented to simply petting his sleeping boyfriend’s back while he half watched the television programme over Patrick’s shoulder.

Eventually, all of Pete’s shows came to an end for the night and he decided it was time for them both to go to bed. Patrick was still comatose on Pete's lap, lightly drooling on his shoulder. Pete gripped Patrick by the ass and hoisted them both up and off of the couch. Once he was standing and sure he wasn't going to drop his sleeping boyfriend, Pete made his way to the bedroom for the night. 

**

Pete was woken up by Patrick squirming and whining next to him. A quick glance over at the clock on the night table on his side of the bed let him know that it was just after 9am. Pete turned back over to face Patrick's side of the bed and propped himself up on an elbow to look closer at his boyfriend. He appeared to be locked in the throes of a nightmare; writhing, whining, and absolutely drenched in sweat. Pete started to panic...it had been weeks, months since Trick struggled with his night terrors. He scooted over and quickly took the trembling neko in his arms, kissing his face and neck, and trying to softly bring him out of this state. Patrick's eyes cracked open but the look in his eyes was far away and not quite coherent. He continued to pant and breathe heavily, letting loose desperate whimpers and mewls. Pete could feel the jack hammering of Patrick's heartbeat and started petting the boy’s chest hoping to soothe and steady it's heavy handed pounding. However, once Pete started to rub, Patrick's gaze turned intense and his soft sobs converted into open mouthed panting and growling. Patrick quickly rose into a sitting position and faced Pete with a feral look on his face before launching himself onto the older man and started to earnestly devour his lips/neck/chest. The neko straddled Pete, grinding down harshly as he worked his mouth over any inch of skin he could find. Patrick quickly found the end of Pete's sleep shirt and ducked under the clothing to start biting and licking at his chest and stomach. 

Pete's reaction? Mind-numbingly turned on while simultaneously frozen in fear. 

His mind may have been confused as hell but his dick was positive this was going to be a good time. 

Grasping desperately to the quickly fading voice of reason, Pete lifted his shirt to try and pry Patrick off of him. Those efforts, while notability chivalrous and honorable, was not met with any sort of appreciation. Instead, Pete received a set of bared teeth and deep growls as Patrick pointed a fixed and determined stare back at his boyfriend before diving back under his shirt to continue to attack and molest Pete's body. 

In a last ditch effort, Pete slapped his hand on the bedside table to grab his phone. He NEEDED to call Andy before the last of his working brain cells shut down and his boner completely took over the propriety department. 

It felt like the ringing went on and on and on but right before he was about to hang up, the recipient of the call finally picked up...at the exact moment that Patrick's hot mouth and sharp little teeth found a very perky nipple to bite down on. 

Pete greeted the call with a loud and very enthusiastic moan. 

“Jesus fucking Christ, Pete, what the fuck?!” Joe’s lispy voice yelled down the line. 

“Joe? Oh man...where's Andy? I really need to...uhhh oh my god yes!...I really need to talk to him.” Pete barely managed to breathe out as Patrick's efforts became even more earnest. 

“He's finishing rounds at the hospital. I'm waiting for him here. Dude, what the fuck is going on???”

At this point, Patrick paused the exploration under Pete's shirt to aggressively brush his face against his chest while starting a loud chorus of animalistic yowling. 

“It's...it’s...Patrick...he's...ohhhhh!” Pete almost dropped the phone. “He's acting weird. I need to ask...Andy...he…”

“Dude, you're making no sense. What is that loud caterwauling in the background? Sounds like a fucking cat in heat.”

There may have been only one surviving brain cell left in Pete's head, but it exploded when the realization of what was happening dawned on him. 

“Oh shit. I think...I think Patrick's in heat or something.” Pete panted out. 

Joe’s laughter was so loud it almost made Pete drop the phone again. “Oh my god that is fucking insane! DUDE! Why the fuck are you calling us then? Go take care of your boyfriend. From what I can hear, it sounds like he REALLY needs your help. Hahahaha! Oh man, I can't WAIT to give Andy the update on your situation!”

Pete's could only manage a deep moan in reply. 

“Yeah, sounds like that's my cue to hang up. If I don't hear from you after a week I'm sending in backup. Oh, and stay hydrated, bro. And uh, warm up before you start any strenuous activity so you don't overextend your muscles. Hahahaha! BYE!” Joe’s laughter was still ringing through when Pete ended the call, dropping his phone somewhere on the floor off the side of the bed. 

Pete reached down and tugged his shirt up again to reveal a very aroused neko working diligently to mark up the skin under the tent of Pete's shirt. Patrick stilled and locked eyes with his mate and started to crawl back up his body to kiss him. Kissingkissingkissing, hands everywhere, hips grinding hysterically, hardhardhard and leaking members suppressed and restricted by too many clothes. Too...many...clothes...suffocating and hindering their ability to become one…

Pete's final logical human brain cell, that had so valiantly fronted for far too long, finally laid itself down in surrender as the man’s animal side decided it was time to finally be permitted to take over. 

Reason had patiently waited in the wings for curtain call. It was showtime for the untamable now. 

Clothes were quickly discarded. 

Gaspsmoansgrowlsscreams

Pete flipped positions so he was astride Patrick and gazed into his soulful eyes as he started to rub the tip of his cock against Patrick's ass. He reached down to caress a warm and welcoming hole to find, much to his shock and surprise, that it was already leaking and slick. He prodded and stroked, collecting moisture on his fingertips, then raised his hand to his face, smelling the sweetsweetsweet aroma of Patrick's arousal. With a smirk, Pete's tongue flicked out to sample the nectar and found it tasted as good as it smelled. Ambrosia. 

“Mmm, Tricky. You taste so good. You gonna be a good boy? Gonna let me fuck you? Fill you up? Is that okay with you, my baby?”

A resounding howl escaped the neko’s lips, desperation apparent in every quiver of his taut body. 

“Good. I'm so glad to hear that, baby. I've waited so long to make you mine.”

**

 

It was four days before either Pete or Patrick finally got a full night’s sleep. Pete's long forgotten phone was still on the floor where it first fell. Dead and full of missed calls and messages.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter started getting much longer than I originally envisioned so I broke it off halfway. Stick around, because the pace will be picking up after this...

Pete was leaning up against the kitchen countertop finishing off a healthy gulp from bottle number three of water. He had just started a very large pot of coffee and was getting himself some much needed hydration while he waited for the percolation cycle to start. After the machine started to drip, Pete pulled his long dead cell phone from the pocket of his sweatpants and plugged it into the quick charger he had stationed by the couch in the living room. His device had been sitting on the bedroom floor, completely dead and unused, forgotten for several days. A lazy smile spread across Pete's face as he remembered some of the activities from the last five days. His body was sore, muscles pulled taut and overtaxed, far more than any workout or strenuous soccer match, but his heart and mind were oh so fucking satisfied. Once the battery icon lit up on the phone’s display, confirming that it was indeed being charged, Pete left the cell on the side table and returned to the kitchen to pour himself some coffee. He was reaching for his favorite mug in the cupboard when he heard the lock of the apartment door being opened. Pete hadn't placed a work order for several months and it wasn't time for any of the regularly scheduled unit inspections so he wasn't expecting maintenance to pop in. Maybe there was a water leak in a surrounding unit. The service crew always made a courtesy call before entering a unit but since his phone has been dead for the last few days they probably had no choice but to come in anyways. He put his mug on the countertop and walked around the kitchen island towards the hallway so he could see who was entering the unit and was surprised to find that it wasn't maintenance at all, but a very worried looking Joe followed by a very serious looking Andy. Pete was about to inquire why they used their “just in case of an emergency” spare key when he was nearly bum-rushed by Joe. 

“Pete! Where the fuck have you been? We've been calling for days, man!” Joe released his hold on Pete, stepped back, and took in his appearance. “Dude, what the fuck happened to you?”

Andy whistled as he looked over Pete as well. “Well, well, WELL.” 

Pete simply smirked and lazily scratched at his lower belly. He had taken a good look at his reflection in the bathroom mirror when he was brushing his teeth earlier so he was very well aware of how he looked. His neck and chest were covered in hickeys, quickly darkening marks trailing down to the waistband of his pants, and his torso and sides had several scratch marks leaving angry red welts over his flesh. 

“Man, sorry guys. I didn't know you'd get worried. I guess you can say I've been kinda busy.” Pete looked down at himself and rubbed a hand down over the marks on the front of body. He smiled again, appreciating every welt and contusion. “Well, come in and have some coffee. I just made a big ass pot.” Pete clapped his friends on the shoulders and led the way back into the kitchen so he could get everyone a caffeine fix. 

“Holy FUCK, Pete. Your back looks completely FUCKED.” Andy said as he walked past Pete to grab a few paper towels and wet them under the tap. He came back over and started to wipe down Pete's back, who hissed slightly at the contact. “Sorry, dude, but you have fucking dried blood on your back.”

Pete’s eyebrows shot up. “No way, really?” His eyebrows shot up and he was fucking grinning, looking equal parts surprised and smugly pleased about that bit of information. 

“Wow, looks like that little masochistic streak is still alive and well in you. You have any hydrogen peroxide or Neosporin? You may want me to put some on these cuts. Some of those scratches are pretty deep.” 

“Yep, I'll go grab them. Help yourself to coffee or whatever you want. I'm gonna check on Patrick and see if he's awake yet. I'll be right back.”

Pete went into the bedroom first, maneuvering his way over a floor full of discarded clothing, bedding, and miscellaneous detritus to sit by the fuzzy lump that was still tangled up in the comforter. Patrick was awake, though, and greeted Pete with a sleepy grin and a soft meow. 

“Hey baby, good morning. How is my Kitten doing?” Pete greeted as he sat on the bed beside his boyfriend. Patrick replied by rolling onto his back and stretching his arms up to pull Pete down for a kiss. 

“Mmm,” Pete hummed as he pulled away from the tempting warmth of his boyfriend. “The guys are here, Kitten. Why don't you get dressed and come hang out with us. I'm gonna make something to eat. You must be pretty hungry by now, huh?” Pete asked while brushing some stray locks of hair away from Patrick's forehead and then lovingly cupping his face. 

Patrick nodded. “Yeah, I'm really hungry, Petey. What are you making?”

“Not sure what we have. I'll figure it out and get something started. Take your time, baby. Just come out when you're ready.”

**

“So yeah...it's like I've gotten laid more in the last five days than I have in my last three relationships combined.” Pete stated smugly as he reduced the heat to simmer on the orzo that was cooking on the stove. He grabbed the thawed frozen peas from his makeshift prep station and added them to the pasta, stirring quickly to combine. 

Andy and Joe were perched on stools at the kitchen island; Andy grinning appreciatively while Joe had his elbows on the countertop with his hands digging tightly into his messy hair. He wore an incredulous expression and seemed a little pale. Andy looked over at his slightly ill-appearing husband and laughed, patting him on the back in a sarcastic display of mock consolation. Pete kept grinning that stupid fucking grin as he made his way over to the oven to check on the marinated portobello caps that were cooking in there. 

“Lunch should be ready soon, guys.” Pete said as he flicked the oven switch off. “Do you wanna watch something or just hang out and catch up?”

“I think I need to bleach my brain, dude. I can't get the images of you and Patrick out of my head now. Jesus help me. Why did you have to be so DETAILED?” Joe asked, still a bit stunned. 

Pete snorted and flicked Joe on the side of the head. “Sorry, babe. I'm a writer. I can't help my illustratively descriptive and verbose nature.”

Joe grumbled and pulled a sour face as his reply. 

Pete was dishing out all of the food onto serving platters and placing everything out onto the kitchen table when Patrick finally emerged from the bedroom. Pete looked up when he heard his boyfriend’s footsteps reach the kitchen and noticed he was bundled up in his usual around-the-house pajama pants and hoodie combo. It was a little strange seeing him so covered up again. He was spoiled by getting to spend the last five days together completely and blissfully nude. Pete frowned a little, already missing the sight of his boyfriend’s glorious soft body but he knew that clothing was mandatory for the time being. There was a VERY noticeable limp to Patrick’s gait which made Pete feel a little guilty yet simultaneously accomplished when he noticed both Andy and Joe watching him walk with difficulty. Pete knew that under the kid’s clothing he was also covered in marks and welts that no one else could see...but the hitch in his step was enough to make Pete feel that there was some sort of visible claim on him. Who would have thought that a limp and some bruises could be so beautiful? Patrick waddled over to Pete and planted a kiss on his cheek before waving his hello to the guys and very, very gingerly taking a seat at the table.

**

“Barbara, Barbara..yes, I KNOW the deadline was...yes, I...NO! I told you it was an emerg...Barbara, slow down and please give a second to explain.” Pete took a deep breath and started in on his lengthy, and slightly falsified, narrative as to why he was so far behind on his writing assignments. In his defense, he was almost completely caught up reading and responding to the majority of the emails in his inbox now only showed a mere 23 unread notifications. Once he managed to calm Barbara down and assure her that the Art Basel article and the pop up gastropub review would be completed and submitted on time, Pete disconnected the call and returned to his laptop. 

Life, unfortunately, was back to business as usual. 

Well...kind of. 

While the writing assignments and deadlines were as all consuming as before, there was now the wonderful addition of…adult themed ”distractions” and “breaks”. 

Patrick was either going to drive him to an early grave or keep him young forever with the amount of physical demands he was currently placing on Pete. 

It wasn't as desperate and all consuming as when he was in heat, though. And thinking back to that experience made Pete feel an awakening in his pants. It had almost been a month and he was looking forward to another five day block of marathon sex. Knowing that there may be another near week long distraction, Pete knew he HAD to make sure to not only catch up on his pre-existing work, but get a head start on the assignments that would be due after Patrick's next heat ended. 

For the most part, Patrick was good about leaving Pete alone in order to focus on work but there were a few times the neko would get bored or lonely and slink into the office just to be near his boyfriend. 

Pete looked up from his computer screen to see Patrick napping peacefully on the nest of pillows and blankets he had carefully built on the window seat. The blinds were pulled off to the side and the sun was washing over the sleeping boy, casting interlocking blocks of light and shadows over his body. He looked so beautiful...so peaceful and innocent. Pete's stomach started to rumble, snapping his attention back and reminding him that it was far past lunchtime. He didn't have the heart to wake Patrick so he decided to sneak off to the kitchen and just make a sandwich to tide him over until dinner. 

**

It only took about half an hour for Pete to have his lunch and pop off downstairs to check the mail. The box was packed right with junk mail, advertising flyers, and a handful of actual bills. He sorted everything out and tossed the trash noticing that he hadn't seen Patrick when he re-entered the apartment, and assumed the neko must still be napping in his sun nest. 

Pete quietly entered his office and as expected, Patrick was still in his sun nest. However, he was most definitely NOT napping. 

Pete had walked into the office to find his boyfriend sprawled out on the window seat, completely nude, and languidly stroking his hard cock. Patrick's eyes were squeezed shut and he was quietly whimpering and mewling. He was softly panting out Pete's name, digging his heels into the sheets; toes flexing a curling as his tail thump-thump-thumped against the side of the wood panels. Pete must have made some sort of gasp or noise because Patrick's sensitive ears twitched straight up and flicked towards Pete. Their gazes locked as Patrick turned his head and opened his eyes. A loving smile curled on Patrick’s lips as he put his left arm behind his head and arched his back; knowingly placing his body on display to tempt Pete as he took his right hand, spit on it, and returned it to circle the head of his cock as he bit his lip. 

Well, Pete thought as he started undoing his pants, I supposed work can wait just a little longer. 

**

“Honey, we're home!” Joe belted out into the quiet apartment. Pete walked out from the office to greet his friend, who had volunteered to take Patrick out to complete some much needed grocery shopping. He watched as the two entered the kitchen carrying loaded armfuls of filled plastic bags. 

“Well, judging from all the bags, I guess it's safe to assume you found everything on the grocery list?” Pete asked with a raised eyebrow. Patrick was grinning as he ducked past his boyfriend to start putting everything away. 

“We admittedly went a little bit over budget, dude. Your Kitten here is pretty hard to say no to when he wants something.”

Oh yeah. Understatement of the century. 

“So Pete, I wanted to run something by you.” Joe asked as he hefted two armfuls of groceries onto the counter and started to pull out the contents. 

“What's up, Troh?”

“So, it's ‘bring your kid to work’ day next week and I was wondering if you'd be cool with me bringing Patrick along.”

Pete dropped a box of cereal and turned to look at Joe with confusion. Patrick closed the refrigerator door and stood quietly, watching to see what Pete would say. “Um, well Joe,” Pete started slowly. “One, he's not a child. Two, he's not YOUR child. Three, what are you even talking about?”

“I know all that, dude. But it's not fair that everyone else at the office gets to bring someone to work and I thought Patrick would like to see all the animals that come in. He'd actually be able to help me out a bit, as well. Besides, you have a lot of work to catch up on before, you know, ‘that time of the month’ hits.”

Pete blushed a little bit and cast a sidelong glance to Patrick. “Yeah, you kinda have a pretty good point. Patrick, did you want to go?”

Patrick squeaked and ran to give Pete a huge hug. “Really, Petey? I wanna go help with the animals!”

Ah yeah, how could anyone say no to Patrick?

**

“Not to sound too stereotypically ‘dad-like’, but have you thought about what your future plans are with Patrick?” Andy asked Pete as they sat side by side on a park bench watching Joe clumsily kick a soccer ball to Patrick on the field in front of them. 

Pete pushed his sunglasses higher up onto his face with the back of his right hand and turned to his left to take a look at Andy. “You mean, ‘what are your intentions with my daughter, young man’?”

Andy chuckled and took a sip of the cherry granizado he had purchased from the ice cream truck when they first arrived at the park. He wiped at the excess condensation on his plastic cup and switched it over to his left hand. “I'm serious. You guys are good right now but what are your long term plans? You know, Patrick isn't really capable of living by himself. He doesn't have the skills, education, or general life experience necessary to live independently. If you guys don't work out for some reason, where is he supposed to go? What is he going to do? You realize, he's kind of...well, he's kinda childlike and NEEDS you a lot more than a ‘normal’ boyfriend. Have you taken this into consideration before?”

Pete poked at the watery slush with his straw and bit at his blue-tinted bottom lip. “Honestly, I haven't really thought about that. Shit.”

Andy watched Pete's face closely as this information sank in. He could tell that Pete was processing and contemplating by the faraway and intense expression etched on his face. Both men looked up and out onto the soccer pitch as Joe playfully chased a laughing Patrick while the neko kicked the ball around in a circle. 

“Well,” Pete began. “That's...yeah, that's a pretty big fucking deal.”

“Look, I'll level with you, and please don't get upset. I've actually discussed this with Joe.” Andy held up his hand when Pete quickly whipped his entire body to face Andy with a tense and defensive expression on his face. “Hold on, hold on...just let me explain. So, Joe and I were talking about the hypothetical scenario of you guys splitting up. We both know you'd never turn your back on Patrick, BUT if anything ever happened, we're fully prepared and willing to have him stay with us. We love him, too, Pete and the possibility of him having to live in a shelter is not an option we're willing to allow.”

Pete should have felt a wave of relief but he didn't. He felt like an absolute piece of shit. 

“I don't want you to think that we believe you're not capable of having a healthy long term relationship or that you're not a good provider. So get those ideas out of your head already. Sometimes, things just don't work out and I don't ever want you feeling obligated or trapped. Just know that we love you guys, both of you, and we are always here to help. You all are family. It's what we do for one another. Got it?”

Pete still felt like shit but he understood what Andy was saying. “No, yeah, I know what you mean, bro. Actually, thanks for bringing this up. I've got a lot of thinking to do now...some planning and shit. I don't know what the future holds for us, but I know that Patrick is everything to me and I want to do right by him.”

Andy was relieved that the topic didn't spur a wave of depression in Pete. 

“You know, I should probably look into getting his legal documents and identification papers situated, huh?” Pete said with a glimmer in his eyes. 

“It's definitely the place to start.” Andy replied. “You know, once all that's out of the way, he could take up some actual volunteer work or enroll in some online classes or something. It'll be good for him to learn some ‘real world’ skills and gain some basic life experience.”

Pete smiled. “He'd never be forced into a shelter if he has his paperwork in order and can actually legally be employed.”

“Pete, I already told you-” 

“No, I know. I know you guys would take him in. It just gives me peace of mind knowing that if you guys weren't an option, for some reason, that at least he won't be locked up or re-homed against his will or something.”

A peaceful silence settled between the two men as they returned to watching their counterparts play in the park. Joe was now sitting on a low branch of a large tree, swinging his feet back and forth, as Patrick crouched low to the grass beneath him; stalking his prey. Andy let loose a whistle and both Joe and Patrick’s heads shot up at the sound. 

“Watch out, Joe!” Andy yelled out to the pair. “There's a vicious wild lion about to get you!”

Patrick emerged from his attack stance to stand on his feet appearing fully betrayed at being called out when he was so close to catching Joe. 

Andy turned back to Pete and pat his thigh. “Come on, let's get the kids back home.”

***

Pete fucking hates going into downtown. He has never liked that area and has always avoided it. It's under never ending construction, it's packed with way too many people, it's all bumper to bumper traffic on all too narrow passages of confusing as hell one way streets, and there is never any fucking parking. What few car parks there are scattered around know they are the only option for those poor dumb souls that drove into the city instead of taking public transport and charge an OBSCENE amount of money per 15 minute increment. Bullshit. 

Pete is already stressed from not leaving the house on time. It was his own fault, really, but Patrick, first thing in the morning with a cranky scowl and a stiff morning wood just about erupting from his boxers, looked so fucking good…

Well, you get the idea why they were a little late. 

But that meant there wasn't enough time to take the train like he had planned and was forced to race over to the county clerk’s office in his car, instead. Pete is muttering a string of very colorful curse words at the exorbitant parking charges as he pulls into the closest lot to the government center but knows if he had to do it again, he's always going to chose sucking Patrick's dick over sticking to a convenient plan. Hands down. Without question. 

They race the three blocks to the courthouse and take the elevator to the clerk’s office. They have five minutes until they have to be checked in; not enough time for a desperately needed coffee run but thankfully they didn't miss their appointment. Pete tells Patrick to snag a couple of available seats in the waiting area as he goes to sign them in. Pete didn't know how long this was going to take so he opted to get one of the earliest available appointments. He hoped it wouldn't be too difficult to obtain a copy of Patrick’s birth certificate, if there even was one. That document was absolutely necessary to apply for a social security card or get an official identification card...which, in turn, were both needed to sign up for classes or volunteer work or start a job. Patrick didn't know much about his biological mother and said if the guardians he lived with did have any of Patrick's paperwork, it was long ago destroyed in the house fire. Basically, they were armed with Patrick’s name, his mother’s name, and a city of birth. 

Pete was so upset when Patrick told him the little bit of information about his mom. She was a feral and almost completely unable to speak but Patrick and his siblings were able to pick up English through the various workers that helped care for them at the shelters. He said they called his mother Diana, but that to him and his siblings she was called something along the lines of “Weich”. Patrick said he and his siblings were given “legal” names by the shelter (which Pete hoped meant actually legal and not just a name given to them by the shelter) but their “neko names” given by his mother were simply Eins, Zwei, Drei, and Vier (“I was Drei,” Patrick chirped happily. “Because I was the third one born.”). Pete also found out that the odd surname of Stump had a not-so-cute origin. 

“Weich-mama got hurt one day. She got into a fight with another neko when she was pregnant and they beat her up pretty bad. She didn't want to be out on the streets when it was time for us to be born but the place she was at wasn't the best so she tried to escape. She said she almost made it but got her tail snagged in an electrical fence and was electrocuted. They found her in the morning and gave her treatment. Somehow, we were all okay but her tail had to be docked. So, when we were born, they gave us our first names and we kept the last name they gave her because of that. Stump.”

Pete took his seat beside his boyfriend, grabbing his soft hand and twining their fingers together. He didn't want to show it but he was nervous. Logically, he figured the shelter Patrick was born in would have had all the necessary birth records filed but there was always that slim chance that there would be issues with the documents. If he had to start from scratch, it may become more than just an inconvenience but actually open up some more serious legal issues. Patrick was, by what he could gather, about 17. He had no idea of the whereabouts of his biological mother or the human guardians he lived with prior to being on the streets. Pete was basically “just some dude” and had no legal custodial claim to Patrick and he was afraid the neko could easily be sucked back into the system. Granted, it would only be until he reached 18 but the thought of being forcefully separated was agonizing. He was ready to call in a favor to his father for assistance but he was hoping it wouldn't come down to that. 

“Pete! Stop biting!” Patrick hissed as he slapped at Pete's hand. He had unconsciously taken to gnawing on his fingernails as his thoughts drifted. 

Pete pulled his fingertips out of his mouth and painted on the best smile he could muster. He needed to keep his shit together, stay calm and focused, and pull as much confident professionalism possible. 

“Wentz? Peter Wentz?” Pete raised his hand and stood up when his name was called by the administrator. “Please follow me to see your case worker in office 2.” 

Pete pulled Patrick by the hand and smiled. “Ready babe? Let's get this shit over with so we can get some Starbucks.”

***

“Pete! Petey! Oh my...fuck, PETE!”

Pete was celebrating the successful obtainment of Patrick's birth records by giving what he hoped was the best rimjob of his fucking life. Patrick was left in the dark to all of the possible negative outcomes today's ventures could have posed but he NEEDED to indulge in the success of the day. 

Pete looked up from between Patrick’s outstretched legs and grinned. Wiping the spit and slick from his chin with the back of his hand, he growled when he saw Patrick's hand migrating down to touch his cock.

“Don't!” Pete barked. Patrick withdrew his hand and mewled. Pete waited a few beats to make sure Patrick behaved and started to kiss down his inner thigh. 

Patrick may not be aware of it, but today marked the first day that the neko actually was his. Now that Pete had a legal, notarized copy of Patrick's birth certificate, he felt quite confident that there would never be the worry or threat of having his boyfriend sucked back into the system and away from his loving embrace. Pete wasn't about to burden his Kitten’s mind with all this bullshit information but he was going to express his joy in his own way. 

Pete nipped and sucked into Patrick's thighs nuzzling and inhaling the heady, sweet scent of his boyfriend’s slick. “You're all mine, baby. Forever.” Pete whispered while sucking marks into the neko’s delicate skin. 

Forever. That was definitely a possibility.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While the outline for 95% of this story is complete, I want to let everyone know I am always open to ideas and suggestions. Drop a comment or contact me on Tumblr with any input. Please!
> 
> Also...
> 
> I thrive off of love, attention, cuddles, and hugs. Come by my Tumblr and indulge my soft kitten self. 
> 
> @laudanumcafe
> 
> ❤️


	5. Chapter 5

“Patrick! What the everloving fuck is wrong with you?!” 

Pete was watching his neko boyfriend tear through the bedroom closet AGAIN. This was the third time today that Patrick had organized, re-organized, and was now in a complete fury trying to organize it yet again. Each attempt in straightening out their wardrobe seemed to cause a steadily escalating fit of frustration in Patrick. 

“Patrick, baby. Calm down. Don't worry about cleaning the fucking closet. It's perfectly fine the way it is.” Pete stated using the calmest voice he could muster. It was hard for him to keep his temper in check and his voice probably sounded strained, but he tried his best to dig deep and find that last bit of patience left in his body. 

“No, PETE. It's not FUCKING okay! Don't you GET IT?”

No, Pete very much did NOT get it. He didn't understand this strange, hyper-detailed fixation Patrick seemed to have developed recently in organizing and straightening practically EVERYTHING in their home and quite honestly it was driving him absolutely nuts. 

Pete watched as Patrick growled into the walk in closet, clawing at his own hair, and then proceeded to complete freak out and tear every item from their hangers and throw them onto a pile on the floor. 

“It's not GOOD ENOUGH! It's not RIGHT!” 

He screamed and wailed as he tore almost every article of clothing off their hangers, almost bringing down the entire rack itself. Then, as quickly as Patrick's fury started, he stilled and just stared at his handiwork; tears welling up in his eyes, fur poofed up, and body shaking. He looked at Pete and started to cry. 

“I don't know what's wrong with me, Petey.” 

Pete crossed the threshold of the closet and kneeled next to Patrick, who hand crumbled to his hands and knees on top of the pile of clothing. Pete pulled him up by the upper arms and just watched his face crumble; tears running uncontrollably down his cheeks, mouth open in a grimace of ugly sobbing and hitched gasps. 

“Patrick, it's okay, baby. Come here.” Pete coaxed the neko into arms and Patrick latched on; his crying and gasping escalating and building into high register screeches and wails. Pete just held this fuzzy form of sadness tightly, rocking back and forth, breathing deeply in hopes Patrick would subconsciously start matching his inhalations. 

These outbursts had started becoming more frequent and with escalating levels of intensity...and Pete was just...lost. 

It wasn't noticeable at first, but over the course of almost two and a half months, Patrick's temperament was definitely becoming an issue. 

Patrick's frantic weeping eventually started to lose steam and the neko was beginning his denouement into a round of dejected crooning. Pete maintained his steady petting and tried to wait it out. 

**

Pete was standing in front of the stove, staring at his toes as he waited for the microwave to complete it's 3 minute countdown. He was making a cup of tea for Patrick who had managed to calm down enough for Pete to feel confident enough to leave his side momentarily. The neko was still sitting on the heap of clothing that was on the floor of the closet; curled up and quivering, sucking almost manically on his own fingers, whimpering and refusing to speak. When Pete tried to coax some responses out of him, he didn't seem aware of his words and remained eerily still and quiet. 

It was unnerving. 

The microwave gave a succinct beep beep beep letting Pete know his time for drifting thoughts and unsure hearts was over. 

He reached up and opened the door, removing the steaming mug, and dipping the tea bag a few times before removing it and tossing it in the waste bin. It was far too hot for Patrick's liking so he added two ice cubes to expedite the cooling process. Walking back to the bedroom, blowing on the amber liquid, Pete found Patrick in much in the same way as he was left. He was still curled up on the pile of clothes on the floor, however there were now more clothing as well as some of the clean linen and blankets added to the pile. Patrick’s eyes were closed but he didn't appear to be sleeping. He was suckling on the corner of a flannel shirt, hands and feet flexing, and purring. 

Pete lifted the sheet that was partially swaddling his boyfriend and pet his head. “Hey baby, I brought you some tea. Wanna sit up?”

No response. 

“Patrick?”

The purring stopped and his eyes opened halfway. 

“Here, baby. I have your tea for you. It'll make you feel better. Come on, sit up.”

A pale and shaking hand reached out from the nest of blankets, slowly reaching for the mug...then quickly batted it over causing the liquid to spill. When the tea started to soak into the border of the clothing Patrick reared up hissing and screaming. 

God. Fucking. Dammit. 

“God fucking DAMMIT! Patrick! Stop being a little shit! Get the fuck out of the closet. Fuck! I have to fucking clean this mess up! God DAMMIT!” Pete’s near saint level of patience was taxed beyond reason for two and a half months and he just snapped. Pulling Patrick by the shirt collar, he hauled his boyfriend up and pushed him out of the closet and onto the bed. 

“Just...stay right there. I'll clean everything up.” Pete took a deep breath and rubbed Patrick's shoulders. “Fuck, baby. I lost my temper and I'm sorry. It's just...I'm worried and I'm stressed.” 

Patrick just looked at him, expressionless. 

“Come on, Kitten. Talk to me. PLEASE.” 

No response.

They remained there for a few moments, staring at each other, before Pete just sighed and stood up. “I'm going to clean up. Just...talk to me when you can.”

**

Pete wasn't sure why he decided to spend the afternoon alone at the bar instead of going home to try and fix whatever the hell was going on with Patrick. But two days of literally no words from the neko was just too much for him to take. He was heartbroken, confused, and feeling pretty rejected. All Patrick would do now is sleep and prowl around the apartment scenting the furniture. To make things worse, he had removed himself from the bedroom and taken to sleeping in a ball of pillows and blankets in the far corner of the living room floor. He wasn't speaking; in fact, Pete suspected he didn't really seem to even understand when spoken to which was...terrifying. 

He was acting like...a fucking cat. 

Well, Pete thought as he raised the glass of scotch to his lips, let's get wasted. 

**

Okay, Pete was sober enough to realize that getting drunk before coming home to deal with an upset boyfriend was definitely a bad idea. Did he say upset boyfriend? Scratch that. Correction. Make that a hysterical, near feral, neko boyfriend.

It was quiet and dark when Pete walked through the front door of their apartment. Well, not so much walked in as slightly stumbled in. He was a bit wobbly but still had his wits about him. He was a few levels past just buzzed but not blackout drunk or anything. Just...comfortably numbed a bit. 

Closing the door with as much grace as possible, he walked in to find Patrick still in that fucking nest on the floor of the living room. This upset him as he had hoped that Patrick would have roused himself out of whatever weird funk he was going through by the time he came back. He purposely left for the entire evening figuring he needed some alone time to work his shit out. 

Patrick's ears perked and he started to crawl over to Pete. On his hands and knees, Pete observed with a flinch...still acting like a cat. 

Pete stood still and let the neko make his cautious approach, a slight drunken sway making things a bit difficult. When Patrick reached his boyfriend, he started to stand up properly, eyeing Pete suspiciously. 

A few quick sniffs and a wrinkle of his nose let Pete know Patrick was very well aware of his intoxicated state. “Smell...you...grrr...bad.”

Pete rolled his eyes. “Oh my god, Patrick. Come on, use your words! You're not a fucking cat!”

Patrick’s shoulders were slightly hunched and fur starting to stand up as he stood in front of Pete, gaze burning a hole into his features. “Smell...no...no no no...NO!”

Pete’s head whipped to the side with a crack as Patrick slapped him as hard as he could right across the face. 

It took a few seconds for realization to kick in but Pete recovered quickly, straightening his posture and grabbing Patrick by his upper arms. 

The combination of two months of Patrick’s tantrums, plus the recent feral behavior, plus Pete’s quickly receding level of patience, and a blood alcohol level that was probably a little over the legal limit was not the best recipe tonight. 

“What the everloving FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!? I have HAD it with you acting like a little fucking BRAT!” Pete is just screaming and physically shaking the shit out Patrick at this point, almost completely out of control. 

Patrick is doing his best to squirm out of Pete's grip but the older man is taller and far stronger so he retains his hold on the feral neko. “No, Patrick! You will behave your fucking self and tell me right now what the fuck is up with you!”

Patrick stilled, a growl in the back of his throat. “I...you...grrrr.” A series of fierce little fists started pummeling into Pete's chest. 

“No you don't, you little shit.” Pete grabbed the neko’s wrists and turned him around. He released one of the fists and used it to grab a handful of the boy’s hair, yanking his neck to the side and leaning down to bite down on the side of his neck forcefully.

Like a kitten in the jaws of their mother, Patrick froze. Pete kept his jaw locked for a few more moments waiting to make sure that Patrick had chilled the fuck out and wasn't going to start fighting again. When he was satisfied, he removed his mouth from the boy’s flesh and moved to speak lowly into his ear. 

“Trick, I love you. But you have been behaving like such a bad boy and this shit needs to stop.” Pete didn't bother soothing the obvious aggression that was apparent in the deep growl of his voice. Patrick didn't respond with fear. Instead, the neko’s body quickly tensed then shuddered as it relaxed; a quiet but long moan rolling out of his mouth. 

Pete released his grip around the back of Patrick's neck and pushed him towards the couch. Patrick immediately clambered onto the seat on his hands and knees, his face lowered to press down onto one of the cushions but turned to the side to make eye contact with Pete. He raised his hips and threw back his tail while gasping out shallow open mouth pants. 

He was submitting and presenting himself. 

Okay, this wasn't exactly what Pete had in mind but he could definitely work with this. 

Pete leaned over to cover Patrick's body with his own; hands circling his hips to pull the neko’s pajama bottoms and underwear down. With suggestive tugs, Pete worked the garments off completely. Turning back, he faced Patrick's ass; tail high and curled back to arch towards his head, placing his asshole on full display. It was pulsing and starting to slick up; a sweet and musky scent drifting into the air. Pete leaned in close, taking in a deep breath of the intoxicating scent and exhaling a hot breath out onto Patrick’s rear. 

“Pete…”

A trickle of hot aggression ran to the forefront of Pete’s mind the moment he heard Patrick's desperate voice utter his name. The older man was still hurt. Almost two months of being mistreated...being raged at and ignored...watching in confused silence as his boyfriend stopped speaking altogether.

“Quiet!” Pete screamed. Patrick spread his legs wider, arched his back higher, mewled a bit more desperately. 

“I'm so fucking mad at you, Patrick. You've been acting up so much lately. This is gonna stop, okay? Are you gonna start being a good boy from now on?” 

Patrick, still whimpering, only flexed his grip on the couch cushions harder. 

“I SAID are you gonna be a good boy?? Use your words, goddamn it!” 

Nothing but a steady, vigorous purr and some very enthusiastic yowls met Pete’s question. Patrick's cheek was pressed hard into the sofa seat, but his head was turned to the side. He opened his eyes and looked up at Pete with a smirk...and then fucking hissed at him. 

Pete didn't know what came over himself but he just broke. 

He reached up and grabbed Patrick's tail, winding the end of the furry appendage around his left fist and yanking it to the side while delivering a series of five hard spanks to the side of Patrick's right ass cheek. 

When the final blow landed, Pete grabbed onto the meaty flesh and dug his nails in harshly. 

“Pete! Oh my god, Pete! More! Please!” Patrick begged. 

“Oh, NOW you want to use your words, huh? You like this, baby? Tell me *smack* what *smack* you want.” With the last word he smacked Patrick's ass one time with a decent amount of force behind his action. Pete's right hand was already sore and stinging from the slightly excessive aggression he used. Seeing how bright red Patrick's bottom was, he was sure the neko was feeling it. 

Patrick was squirming and writhing beneath Pete's hand, the neko’s left hand reaching out blindly behind himself trying to find Pete. 

“Pete...please. I need you. Please.”

Pete, usually so careful, so mindful and gentle when it came to Patrick, just let go. 

The dark haired man quickly undid the button of his jeans and pushed them down just low enough to expose himself. Patrick’s hand was still reaching out to make contact with Pete so he grabbed the neko’s searching limb and twisted it behind his back. Patrick yelped in shock as he felt his arm bend awkwardly. 

Pete grabbed his cock with his right hand and leaned back to stare down onto Patrick's asshole. It was already fully slicked with moisture running steadily down his inner thighs. Pete bent his head down, collected a mouthful of saliva towards his lips, and let the spit dribble down to Patrick's hole. Releasing Patrick's tail, Pete placed his left hand on a butt cheek and rubbed his thumb across the moisture; mixing his spit and Patrick's slick together before lining his cock and pressing in the head. 

Patrick remained surprising still as Pete leaned down to cover the neko's back with his body and growled in his ear. With each growl he flexed his cock head to twitch inside of Patrick's body. He was savoring the sensation; teasing himself by only keeping the tip of his cock inside his boyfriend. Letting the anticipation and excitement build to an overwhelming capacity. He was going to tear Patrick apart. 

Aggressive sex wasn't something they did. Wildly enthusiastic, bruising, and vigorous sex? Yes, that they did. But this type of brutish behaviour with a taste of the barbaric and a hint of mishandling? This was a first for both of them. 

Pete hadn't even inched in, still braced and tense with just the tip of dick breaching Patrick, but he was wound so tight he knew he was going to cum the moment he pushed in. No, he didn't want bust his nut just yet.

With great reluctance and even greater force of will power, Pete pulled himself back away from Patrick, his right hand reaching down to squeeze himself to stifle his desire a little as he sat down on the sofa beside his boyfriend. Patrick scrambled up and turned to face Pete, his face bright red and a look of pure confusion and anger marring his typically angelic expression. He shuffled the few inches across the couch to launch himself into straddling Pete's lap, scratching and pulling at his shirt. 

“Pete...what? Please!” Patrick begged, while hovering over Pete's exposed dick. The neko was still in his shirt, which he quickly removed so he could press his bare flesh directly to Pete's body. Pete was still fully dressed but he didn't have the brainpower left to urge his boyfriend out of his clothing. 

“Patrick. Fucking...calm down for a second.” Pete was an overwound top ready to spin out of control. Patrick took no notice, or just didn't care; the neko’s own desire too overwhelming for him to think about anything other than “mate” and “need to cum”. 

Patrick, arms around Pete's neck and kneeling up on his knees, was vigorously rubbing his chest up and down Pete's body, rutting his dick against his boyfriend’s stomach. Pete's shirt had ridden up a bit and Patrick felt relief as he finally got some skin on skin contact. The neko squatted lower, rubbing his ass against Pete's throbbing dick and tried to sink down on that pulsing cock, curses flying from his pink kitten mouth as he missed the mark each time; his over enthusiastic actions only causing a frustrating amount of uncoordination. 

Pete, no longer thinking and just acting on instinct, reached up and grabbed Patrick by the hair on the back of his head and pulled him away to look him directly in the face. Patrick was sweating, panting, wanting nothing more than to fuck himself senseless on Pete's cock. But Pete wasn't letting him and this was killing him. He tried to pull away but Pete's grip on his hair held fast. Patrick scowled, anger starting to rise in the neko, then he raised his eyes to Pete, opened his mouth, and snapped a bite in his direction. 

“You little fucking brat!” Pete snapped back and immediately manhandled Patrick so that he was tossed over his lap. His left hand wrapped around the back of Patrick's neck, pushing the neko's face into the sofa seat while his right hand raised and poised to strike over his ass. 

Which he did. Relentlessly, repeatedly, and without reservation. 

The living room was filled with the resounding sound of spanking and Patrick’s high pitched screeching. 

Patrick was writhing and furiously humping into Pete's lap, moaning with each spank that landed. 

When it finally got to be too much for Patrick, he yelled. “Pete! I'm sorry! Please stop! I'll be good! I'll be good! Please...please fuck me!”

Pete loosened his grip and smoothed a hand softly over Patrick's reddened ass; light and gentle whispers over his blistered flesh. “Good boy. You're such a sweet, sweet Kitten. Come here, baby.”

Patrick carefully sat up and crawled into Pete's lap again. The neko wrapped his arms around Pete and held on tight, breathing heavily and nuzzling his face into Pete's neck. “Mmm, Pete. I think...I think I like that. But you know what I'd like even more, Petey?” Patrick pulled back to look at Pete with a smirk. “I want you to bend me over and fuck me as hard as you can. I wanna be a good boy for you, Petey.”

Pete was completely hard again in an instant. 

Patrick slowly slithered off of Pete's lap and moved over to the far end of the couch again. Facing the armrest, he kneeled and bent his head low, arms pillowing the sides of his head, with his ass raised high and tail flicked to arch across his back. The neko turned his head to try and meet Pete's gaze and gave a little enticing shake of his rear. 

Pete was done holding off his orgasm. 

The older man sat up and grabbed Patrick's slender hips. Taking only a moment to look down and watch as he positioned his dick at the slicked entrance, moving in inch by agonizing inch. The moment he was fully pressed in he paused, feeling his dick twitching involuntarily while Patrick clenched and convulsed around his member. It was a strange sensation and intoxicatingly overwhelming. He felt like he was being milked or given a blowjob with the way Patrick's inner walls we're massaging him. 

Fuck, he didn't even have to move. He could cum so fucking hard just like that. 

But Patrick was pushing back against him and babbling what sounded like “please” and “fuck me” and “Petey”. And who was Pete if not accommodating? Patrick wanted to get fucked hard within an inch of his life? Okay, then. Let's give this a go. 

Pete just let loose and pounded in and out of Patrick with as much force and speed as he could muster, so much so that Patrick's head was being pushed into the armrest, neck bending at what appeared to be a painful angle. But he didn't tell Pete to stop. In fact, if his ear splitting screaming and yowling were any indication then Pete was pretty sure this was exactly what he wanted. 

Their hearts were pounding, racing pulses and frantic movements. Pete was giving everything he had but he couldn't keep this pace up much longer. Between starting to tire and barely holding back his orgasm, Pete needed finish. 

“Trickybaby, come on. Come for Daddy. Come on my dick. Be a good boy.” Pete reached around and gave Patrick's weeping dick as many uncoordinated strokes as he could while continuing the brutal pace of his hips. But that's all it took and Patrick was screeching his way into the most savage orgasm of his entire life. 

His body went limp but he valiantly managed to keep his hips raised for Pete who only needed a few more thrusts before he was shooting his load deep inside of Patrick. He held his hips flush to the neko's ass, reveling in that intensely insane milking sensation. Patrick's body was drinking him in and it made Pete light headed. 

Wanting to stay deep inside Patrick for as long as he could (over sensitivity be damned), he gently moved them so they were resting on their sides; Pete curled up hot and protective behind Patrick's back. 

They remained like that, silent and calm, until Pete's softened dick slid out of Patrick's ass and they fell asleep.

***

Trying to have a serious business conversation on the phone while your boyfriend is in your lap crying is next to impossible. 

“Karen, I know you already sent in the documents to HR but I just spoke to Barbara and she said one of the forms was incomplete and needed it to be resubmitted...Yeah, uh-huh...She said she needed the last three pay stubs and what she received were ones slightly older.” Pete patted Patrick's back while he spoke to Karen from Finance. 

“Well, I thought those would be sufficient since I didn't keep my recent pay stubs and needed to get the insurance updated quickly. I didn't think it would be a big deal to use the ones from last month instead of this month.” Pete closed his eyes trying hard not to scream at the woman on the other line. 

“I was in a rush to get the addition to my insurance. Look, Karen, please can you just scan a copy of my last three pay stubs over to Barbara? Please? I promise I'll never ask for another favor again. I really need to get the insurance paperwork in.” Pete was holding Patrick close to his chest, the younger boy weakly sobbing into his neck. 

“Oh my god Karen thank you! Yes, I'll buy you coffee everyday next week. Thank you thank you thank you!” Pete ended the call and turned his attention back to Patrick. 

The neko had come down with something nasty recently and spent the last couple of weeks plagued by nausea, vomiting, chills, and general weakness. Pete had been trying to expedite getting Patrick added to his insurance by updating it to a family plan but bullshit technicalities over proper pay stubs had apparently caused a delay. Thankfully, he was friendly with Karen from Finance who took pity on Pete's personal situation and promised to help push the necessary documents through over those whose were already properly submitted. He owed her for that, big time. 

Pete moved to shift Patrick off of his lap, which was a difficult feat considering the neko was holding a tight grip to Pete's neck. 

“Come on, baby. Move over for a second.” 

With a sniffle and a nod, Patrick moved over to sit beside his boyfriend. 

Pete was exhausted. 

“I don't feel good.” Patrick whispered plaintively. 

“I know, baby. I'm gonna make dinner. You need to eat something. Would you like some soup?”

Patrick shook his head. “Nooooooo. Can I have some pineapple?” 

Pete tried not to roll his eyes. All Patrick was willing to eat anymore was salted chunks of fresh pineapple and boiled peanuts. Joe and Andy were responsible for introducing Patrick to such odd foods but he needed to get something a bit more substantial into Patrick's system. 

“No, baby. I'll heat up some soup for you.”

“Nooooo…” Patrick wailed. “I want boiled peanuuuuuutssss.”

“Baby,” Pete patted lightly on Patrick's thigh. “Come on, baby. You need actual food.”

Patrick was a moment away from a full blown tantrum. Again. Refusing to eat any food with substance and sitting around crying all day while watching reruns of every season of RuPaul’s Drag Race...I mean, it was getting to Pete. 

“Noooooo. I feel bad, Peter” wailed a weak and unstable Patrick. 

Pete bit his lip and shouldered his resolve. Apparently, life with a neko was going to be harder than he ever expected.

***

Waking up at obscene hours wasn't an oddity to Pete but to be roused from sleep by the sounds of violent puking into the trash can in the corner of the bedroom was definitely not typical. 

Once he realized what he was hearing, Pete shot out of bed; tossing the forest green comforter to the side and scrambling over towards the hunched figure of Patrick in the corner of the room. 

“Kitten baby, what's wrong?” Pete whispered while crouching beside Patrick and rubbing his back. 

Patrick was in between gags but didn't move his face from the lid of the waste bin. “I think...I don't feel so good”. Was all Patrick could say before another round of heaving took place. 

The neko didn't seem to be puking anything solid after a while, so Pete decided to gently maneuver him over to the bathroom to wash up. 

Afterwards, Patrick stumbled towards the living room instead of back towards the bedroom and curled up into a corner of the sofa. 

It was close to sunrise and Pete was exhausted but he clomped along to follow his sick boyfriend to his nesting ground. 

Patrick was curled up tight, shivering violently. It took Pete about 15 minutes to wake up enough to notice but when he did he freaked out. 

“Baby, are you okay?”

A hand brushed his bangs away from his forehead and he could feel how hot Patrick felt. 

The kid was burning up. 

“Baby, I think you're sick. I'm gonna go look for a thermometer, okay?”

When Pete got no reply other than shaking, he sprinted to the bathroom to find what he needed. 

Unfortunately, being a well established bachelor meant he had no need for a proper first aid kit or any medical supplies. 

Fuck. 

Pete did however have a best friend who was a nurse and pretty much his bitch. 

Pete wandered over to the bedroom to collect his phone and dial his friend. 

“Fuck off Wentz.” Was Andy’s groggy reply in lieu of a hello. 

Pete didn't even seem to notice the rude greeting. “Andy! I need your help.”

The obvious distress in Pete's voice softened Andy’s mood and helped to wake him up. “Dude, what happened?” 

Pete wandered back into the bedroom so he could speak privately. “It's Patrick. He's sick. Like, really sick. He's been feeling bad for a while but I just woke up to him puking in the fucking trash can and he's burning up. I don't have a fucking thermometer or anything and...can you come over? Please? And bring some medical things with you? I don't know what to do!” Pete was pacing the floor of the bedroom and gnawing on his fingers. Panic was setting in and he hoped Andy was willing to help. 

“Okay, let me get dressed and I'll be right over. Just calm down for now, yeah?”

“Yeah yeah yeah. Okay. Thank you, Andy.”

Pete ended the call, grabbed a few blankets and a hoodie, and left the bedroom to go attend to Patrick again. “Baby? I know you're cold. Come, sit up. Put on your sweater.”

Patrick was completely unresponsive but he did reach a shaking hand out from the tightly coiled ball he was wound into and try to take the sweater. Pete helped him into the garment, zipped it up to the top, and placed the hood securely over his head. After that, Pete worked to wrap Patrick in the blankets until he was no longer visible. The pile of blankets shook visibly and Pete was frantic. 

Pete tried to busy himself, fluttering about the living room, wearing a track into the floor with his pacing. He tried to speak to Patrick but the kid was pretty out of it. He dry heaved over the side of the couch a few times but nothing came up and he only buried himself back into the blankets with a few very weak sounding whimpers. 

After what felt like an eternity, there was a knock on his door. Pete launched himself to answer the call and dragged Andy and Joe inside. 

“Dude, he's super sick. I dunno what to do!” Pete was practically clawing at Andy who simply disengaged himself gently and went straight to the bundle of blankets on the sofa. Placing his makeshift medical bag on the floor, Andy kneeled in front of the neko and pulled some of the covers to the side so he could see his face.

“Patrick? Hey buddy, I need to talk to you, okay? What are you feeling?”

Patrick's eyes were barely opened but he did his best to look at Andy. “Baaadddd.” 

Andy pulled down Patrick's hood and placed a hand on the neko's forehead. Holy fuck, he was burning up. 

Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a digital thermometer and pressed the button to turn it on. “Patrick, I need you to open your mouth and put this under your tongue. It'll only take a minute, got that?” 

Patrick nodded and opened his mouth just enough. Once the thermometer was in place, the neko closed his eyes and resumed his huddled shivering.

Andy shot a glance over his shoulder to Joe. In a silent expression he was able to convey his thoughts to his husband: this doesn't look good. 

When a digital beepbeepbeep sounded, Andy took the thermometer and checked the display. 

104.3

“Shit.” 

Pete immediately jumped into action. “What do you mean ‘shit’? What's it say? What the fuck is wrong?”

Andy ignored Pete and addressed his husband. “Joe, I need you to go fill some ziplock bags with ice and bring them to me.” Joe nodded, understanding right away what was happening. 

“Pete, I need you to help me unwrap these blankets and strip him down to shirt and underwear, okay?”

Pete looked at him like he was insane. “Are you fucking retarded!? He's fucking FREEZING! He needs to warm up.”

“Pete, seriously he's not freezing. His fever is 104.3 - he's literally burning up. We need to get the fever down QUICK. Don't argue, okay? There's no time for that.” 

Andy was already working to remove the blankets and tug at Patrick's clothing. He was only able to work him out of his hoodie but he didn't have time to bother with his sleep pants or socks. Pete was getting in the way trying to stop his actions when Patrick started whimpering and saying “cold” over and over. 

“Andy, here are the ice packs. What else do you need right now?”

Andy started shoving the ice under Patrick's shirt which caused the neko to start moaning loudly. His shaking was uncontrollable and Pete was frantic. “I need you to call Dr. Bodner. He's working at the urgent care this morning. Let him know we're coming in. Tell him what's going on.”

Joe nodded and pulled out his phone to call in their friend. Pete was just standing there helpless; panicking silently with tears in his eyes. 

“Pete, we're taking Patrick to see a doctor. This is an emergency. Go gather his insurance info and help carry him down to my car. We have to go right now.”

Pete watched as Patrick’s shivers turned to near convulsions before scrambling off to do as he was instructed. 

***

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While kudos are wonderful and always appreciated, leaving a comment serves as the life blood for a writer's motivation. Don't be shy...leave a little note...trust me when I say it's soooooo welcomed. 
> 
> Also, you are all invited for drinks over at The Laudanum Cafe on Tumblr (@laudanumcafe). 
> 
> Thank you to all of you who have read this :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so grateful for the support and encouragement of a few very special people that helped get the fire under my ass lit hot enough to get this chapter completed: Kindchen, your art for this fic makes my heart swell with pride; Snitches, always there with kind words, a rub to my belly, and eternal patience as I ramble on and on and on about eating Patrick's ass; Kali, dude I can't believe you read this shit as much as you say you do but it means so much that you say so; and Smolteaspoons...thug life. 
> 
> To anyone else who reads this and comments: THANK YOU SO MUCH!

The ride to the urgent care center passed by in a complete blur; a whirlwind of confusion and adrenaline fueled panic. When they arrived, Pete was instructed to carefully carry Patrick's barely conscious form, with Joe hovering by his side to help should his grip on the neko start to falter. Both men were trailing behind Andy, who jogged ahead and go directly in to start a quick conference with Dr. Bodner, the doctor that Joe had contacted earlier at Pete's apartment. There was a collapsible emergency bed waiting for them at the intake desk so Andy informed Pete that they were taking Patrick back to start working on him and instructed Pete to start filling out the necessary paperwork in the meantime. Pete, quite predictably, started to argue in earnest, insisting he NEEDED to be with Patrick, but Hurley was firm and assertive in his directions. 

“Pete, no. This is an emergency and we need to attend to him without interference. Trust me. I'm going to be assisting Dr. Bodner and I promise I'll make sure everything will be okay.” Andy turned his attention to Joe before Pete could start arguing. “Babe, stay with Pete. Help him with the paperwork and keep his ass CALM.”

Without another word, Andy and the doctor wheeled Patrick into the emergency bay to start treatment. 

“Pete,” Joe said softly, patting Pete on the back as the older man stared at the swinging doors that Patrick was wheeled through, breathing harshly with tears in his eyes. “Come, sit down and I'll bring all the forms over to fill out.”

Pete's mind went blank. 

**

Pete was sleeping, head flopped onto Joe’s shoulder as the younger man kept an arm around his friend to keep him as comfortable as possible in these wretchedly stiff plastic seats. They had been waiting for about eight hours now. Andy had popped out into the waiting room twice to check up on Pete and give an update on Patrick's progression but he was sleeping both times. He left the information with Joe in case Pete woke up before Andy was ready to let them into the ward. 

Joe was patient, though. He knew these things took time and Pete being asleep would help things go faster. A frantically overprotective boyfriend hounding the medical staff for information and insisting on being allowed to see his neko would just delay matters. Or worse, have him forcibly escorted from the premises. Joe wouldn't be surprised at that at all if Pete caused some sort of scene in his desperation to see Patrick. In fact, he brought this fact up when Andy popped in the first time and the nurse returned 15 minutes later, stealthily palming a sedative into Joe's hand. Just in case Pete needed to be forcibly chilled out. 

Joe rolled his free shoulder and worked a pop out of his neck. He was tired, too. Waking up before dawn really sucks and was going to catch some hell from work, too. He had to send in a one handed text telling his supervisor at the Avian and Exotic Center that he was calling out for the day. It was cool, though. He had plenty of sick and personal days saved up and he wanted to be there for his friends just in case things didn't go as well as hoped. His boss was a cool person and replied back with an “okay...hope everything is fine...pls contact later to advise on return to work date”. 

Pete was starting to shift a bit and Joe stilled, hoping he would go back to sleep. 

“Patrick?” a sleepy voice rasped into Joe's ear. 

Crap. 

Thankfully, as if the heavens and our lord and savior Babadook heard Joe's silent prayers, Andy walked into the waiting room. Pete's eyes opened just as their friend approached and was quick to stand up. 

“Where's Patrick!? What's going on with him?”

“Come on guys, you can come back and see him now. Pete, I'll update you on everything in a bit. I don't think you'll be able to pay attention right now, anyways.” Andy was grinning so Pete knew his boyfriend was going to be okay. 

They headed past the emergency ward and down a hallway towards some temporary patient areas. They reached one of the large, curtained off sections towards the far end, pulled back the privacy divider, to find a drowsy neko propped up in bed, and almost completely swallowed by an ugly chartreuse blanket. 

Andy placed his arm out to hold Pete back, who he felt was poised to pounce onto Patrick's bed. “Take it easy, Pete. He's fine now, but he's still a bit weak and is attached to some IV’s. Go easy on him.”

Patrick’s sleepy grin lit up his shockingly pale face as he watched Pete rush over to his bedside. “Peteeeyyy! Pete! Pete!”

Pete gently cupped his boyfriend’s face in both of his hands, gazing into his face as if he was the most wondrous thing he had ever seen in his life. In all fairness, he probably did feel that way about his sweet neko boyfriend. “Oh Kitten, I was so worried about you. Are you okay, baby? How do you feel?”

Patrick's face scrunched up as he raised his hands to try and attach himself to Pete in an embrace. His motions were halted when he felt the IV cannula being tugged against his wrist; it hurt and caused Patrick to whine. “I'm sleepy and still don't feel so good. I just wanna go home now.”

“I know, baby. We can't leave just yet but maybe you can take a nap while I talk to Andy and the doctor? I can wake you up when it's time to go home, okay?”

Patrick, with a pout and a groan, nodded his agreement before turning his head to the side and closing his eyes. Pete stroked his face, leaned up and over, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. 

“I'm going to go grab Dr. Bodner. I'll be right back.” Pete nodded to Andy and remained by Patrick's side petting his cheek softly until they returned. 

**

A fresh faced and uncharacteristically youthful appearing doctor returned with Andy after a few minutes, smiling brightly as he held his hand out for Pete to shake. “Hello Pete, I'm Dr. Bodner. It's a pleasure to meet you.”

Pete took the doctor’s hand in a firm shake, silently conveying his appreciation for taking care of his boyfriend. “Doctor, thank you so much for seeing Patrick so quickly.”

The doctor waved a hand in the air. “It's no problem at all. Now,” the doctor pulled up his notes on Patrick's chart, getting straight to business. 

“Patrick’s fever when he was admitted was 104.1. Nurse Hurley advised me that it was slightly higher prior to arrival. We started went ahead and started with basic treatment to bring down the fever: cooling blankets and intravenous administration of antipyretics and antibiotics. Once we were able to lower his temperature, we went ahead and completed a full lab workup. Blood work and urine samples were collected and sent to the LabCorp offices but, even with the orders to expedite these tests, we will still need a few days to get the results. Because his fever was so high, we wanted to perform a lumbar puncture to rule out the possibility of meningitis but Patrick was rather uncooperative with this and we could not safely complete that test. We went ahead and completed a cranial MRI instead and were able to safely rule out meningitis. His fever has reduced and he should be able to go home shortly. I'll start his discharge paperwork and plan of care instructions. I'll also be scheduling a follow up appointment to see him at my private office to go over his lab results and make sure he's improving. Do you have any questions, Mr. Wentz?” 

Pete appeared overwhelmed. This doctor may be young but he was straight to the point and quick. “Umm, so he's okay now?”

“Well, he's still sick but he has improved greatly in this short time that he's been treated here so we feel confident to allow him to go home rather than transfer to Baptist Hospital for admission.”

Pete nodded. “Okay, so...you said you'll give me instructions on how to take care of him?”

“Yes, Mr. Wentz. There will be a detailed instruction sheet as well as a few prescriptions. If you'd like, we can fax them over directly to the pharmacy of your choice if you provide the discharge desk with that information.”

Pete nodded again. “Yeah. Definitely. Dude...I mean, doctor. Thank you so much. Thank you.”

Dr. Bodner smiled and clapped Pete on the shoulder. “He needs to complete the current course of IV fluids he's on but afterwards he's good to go. The nurses will let you know when he's finished and help you with the paperwork. They'll give you an appointment card and my office information, as well. Take care of him, Mr. Wentz.”

“Will do, Dr. Bodner.”

**

Patrick slept off and on for the majority of the following 24 hours, pretty much only waking up to use the restroom and take the prescribed fever reducers and antibiotics. Pete set his alarm to make sure his medications were promptly taken, along with at least a full glass of water in order to stay hydrated, and allowed him to continue resting. Pete figured his body would recuperate faster if the neko was allowed to sleep. 

When Patrick finally did wake up on his own, his fever was down to a harmless 99.3 and he expressed having an actual appetite. 

Pete was beyond relieved that they were out of the woods but maintained a steadfast schedule for Patrick to complete rest of the medications. Dr. Bodner did advise to finish the course even if Patrick seemed fine and they'd discuss any further treatment, if necessary, at the follow up appointment. 

Clomping out of the bedroom with a sleepy grin, Patrick wandered out into the living to find Pete on the couch watching television and working on his laptop. 

“Well, heyyyyyyyy sleepyhead!” Pete closed the laptop and placed it on the coffee table so he could collect Patrick into his arms as the neko happily nestled into Pete's side. “You finally awake, baby?” Pete placed a hand on Patrick's forehead, content with only feeling slightly warm. “How you feeling?”

Patrick nuzzled deeper into Pete's hug and purred. “I feel a lot better, Petey. I don't like getting sick. I haven't had the flu like that since I was real little.” 

“Aww, poor thing. Yeah, getting sick like that sucks. I haven't had a real bad flu in a while so I know when it's my turn, it's gonna suck real hard.”

Patrick hummed. “I'll take care of you next time. I promise.”

“I know you will, Trickydoll.”

“Pete?” Patrick whined. 

“Yeah baby?”

“I'm huuuuuuuungryyyyy.”

Pete smiled wide and couldn't help laughing. He was just too relieved now knowing that Patrick was going to be just fine. 

**

“Patrick! I'm heading out to the grocery store for a few things! I'll be right back!” Pete yelled out while putting on his jacket and gathering up his keys. They were desperately low on the basics and Pete needed to get some shopping done before they ran out of food completely. 

Pete could hear the bedroom door open and slam closed moments before Patrick came skidding into the hallway. “Wait! Pete! I wanna go! I wanna go!”

“Baby, it's just going to be a quick run. I'll be back soon. Just stay home and keep resting.”

Patrick started to bristle, looking like he was moments away from having a temper tantrum (ugh, Pete thought, he's DEFINITELY feeling better). “Peeeete, I feel fine and I'm boooooored. I just want to get out for a little bit. I promise I'm okay.”

Knowing it would probably be easier to just relent to Patrick's wish and not seeing any real issue with a quick trip to the grocery store, Pete agreed. “Fine, but I need you to wear a long sleeved shirt and that big green hoodie that Joe gave you. It's a little rainy and the store is cold inside. I don't need your fever coming back.”

With a smile and a quick peck on the cheek, Patrick scampered back to their bedroom to get ready. 

**

“Dude, Tricky...I think you got enough junk. Let's go get some actual food items, okay? Come on.” Pete couldn't help but be amused at Patrick's enthusiasm at the grocery store. He was still quite obviously sluggish from being under the weather but the venture out of the apartment, even to someplace as mundane as the grocery store, was making him content. 

They wandered down the aisles putting whatever looked interesting into the shopping cart, Patrick pushing the cart so he had something to hold onto and steady his slightly wobbly legs, while Pete kept a hand around the neko’s waist. They already collected the necessary items on their shopping list and were just taking their time at this point. Pete could feel that Patrick was shivering a little, even though he was bundled in his giant hoodie, but he didn't otherwise seem like he was doing badly. 

Pete's mind started to wander; remembering all of the moments leading up to this point in time. Every shared smile, all of their jokes, each laugh. Pete stopped the cart in the middle of the juice aisle, overwhelmed with how much love he felt for this furry hurricane of a boyfriend and just had to kiss him. 

And kiss...and kiss...and…

“Damn, Pete. Get you some.”

Pete ripped himself away from Patrick, startled at the interruption and slightly embarrassed when the realization that he was getting quite expressive with his affections in a very public place. He turned to face the person that was standing obnoxiously close to them (seriously, what psycho gets within inches next to a couple making out??).

“Gee?”

(Oh...THAT psycho. Totally makes sense now.)

A mop of dirty dark hair with an upturned nose nodded with a grin. “Sup, Pete? Haven't seen you in a minute. What's good?” 

Pete smiled and reached out to pull his old friend into a hug, squeezing tightly before giving him a healthy “bro pat” on his back. They pulled away and looked each other up and down, each drinking in the other’s appearance. Pete hadn't seen Gerard in a few years now and he looked a bit different: cropped and dyed black hair was now long, greasy, and faded to his natural dark brown color. There were a few lines around his eyes when he smiled now, Pete noted (which he probably shared as well). He was a bit thicker all around but still dressed in the same style of clothing as he did when they were both in the music scene. In fact, Pete was pretty sure the slightly faded-from-too-many-washings black and grey striped hoodie (which was absolutely covered in cat hair) was the exact same one he would wear almost 6 years ago when they first met. 

“Fuckin’ A, it's Gee Way! How the fuck have you been man? I haven't seen you in…since the Basement Fire Incident, I think? What are you up to?” Pete absolutely beamed. 

“Dude, I'm great. Quit music but still doing graphic arts and design. I actually started my own illustration company a year ago. It's still in the beginning stages but it's been picking up steam and getting some new clients. I'm living in Wynwood now which is fucking amazing. But whatever about me...who is your, um...friend over here.” Gerard turned his attention to Patrick. Pete always did have a tendency to be unknowingly rude when it came to introductions and he didn't want the young neko to feel he was being purposefully ignored. Gerard took a step towards Patrick and extended his hand. “Hi, my name is Gerard. Pleasure to meet you.”

Pete looked mortified when he realized his mistake. Patrick didn't seem to affected by Pete's rudeness and instead just shifted a little closer towards the older man, staring at Gerard’s outstretched hand, appearing apprehensive and nervous. 

“Oh! I'm so sorry. Patrick baby, this is Gerard. He's a friend of mine from way back in the day. Gerard, THIS is my boyfriend Patrick.” Pete smiled proudly. Seeing Pete's relaxed demeanor made Patrick calm down a bit and take Gerard’s offered hand. 

“Boyfriend, huh? Well, I kinda assumed that when I stood here watching you make out for an hour.” Patrick blushed at Gerard's joke but Pete just laughed. 

“Yeah, true. Hey, so how's your brother and the rest of the old crew?”

“Actually, Mikey is here with me. I just wandered off to grab some stuff because him and Frank started arguing over chips. It was escalating too fast for my taste and I didn't want to be forced to referee or take sides over something as fucking stupid as whether they should get cool ranch or nacho cheese flavored Doritos. I love those two but they annoy the shit out me with their constant fighting.”

Pete's entire body twitches with excitement. “Mikey’s here?! Oh, dude that's awesome. I miss that little guy. I have to say hi to him before you leave. Hmm, but I don't remember a Frank from the old crew. Which one is he?” 

“Oh, you know what, you've never met him before, actually. Frank moved in with me and Mikey about two years ago, right around when we relocated to Wynwood and he was never a part of the old scene. I'll introduce you guys as soon as him and Mikey finish their dispute over fucking corn chips and come find me.”

The two friends chatted away for a few minutes while Patrick remained a couple of steps behind Pete, hand tightly clasping the edge of his boyfriend’s shirt, and trying his hardest not to growl. He very much wanted to show Pete he could manage his temper around his friends but his territorial instincts were so hard to control. He watched Pete's face as he spoke to this new person. How openly and easily Pete gave away his smiles...how he laughed and touched Gee’s upper arm every so often...how Pete's body language was open and inviting; chest puffed and proud, entire torso turned to face the other man with no indication whatsoever that he wanted to be anywhere else. Watching all of these subtle details was making Patrick anxious. It was making those irrational insecurities bubble up all over again. He knew how much Pete liked it when he behaved himself and was a good boy and he didn't want to upset him by growling/hissing/biting the stranger that he was talking to. 

(No, not stranger. Friend. Pete's friend. Just friend. Not mate.)

Patrick kept telling himself there was nothing to be threatened by. No one would take his Pete away. They were JUST talking. It would be fine. It's not a big deal. It's just…

“Fucking...Frankie! Get the fuck back here!”

Patrick's thoughts were interrupted when the presence of two new individuals suddenly appeared by this Gerard person in a flurry of loud voices, thundering footsteps, and sharp metallic clanging of shopping carts. 

“Fuck you, Mikey! I win! Hahahaaaaa suck it!” 

Patrick and Pete simultaneously took a few steps back, Pete reaching a arm behind himself as he instinctively went to protect Patrick with his own body from the very loud and very boisterous newcomer. Gerard simply rolled his eyes and sighed, as if he was used to this type of energetic display and was far from impressed. A few shoppers that were in their aisle stopped and stared but quickly started to roll their carts from the scene when a second individual came running down the aisle. 

“It's about time you fuckers finished up. So, Pete and Patrick...this is Frankie and, well Pete, you already remember Mikey.”

Mikey was a tall, lanky looking thing that didn't seem to notice the people that Gerard was speaking to since he was too busy grabbing Frank by the back of his shirt and smacking the side of his head. “Frankie, you're such a dick. I told you not to do that, man. We're gonna get kicked out again.”

“Oh god, was he trying to race the shopping carts again?” Gerard asked his exasperated brother. 

“Yeah man, I was!” Frank piped up. “No one else wanted to play, though, so I just went for a ride.” Frank’s attention then quickly shifted to Pete and Patrick. “Hi! I'm Frank! Oh my god, you're a neko, too!” 

Patrick took in the figure that now stood before him. Frank was also a neko and almost the same height as Patrick, but Frank had a thick mop of jet black hair and fur with a long, sleek tail that was much thinner and shinier than Patrick's shaggy ginger tail. Frank seemed overly friendly and confident and his dominant scent quickly hit Patrick, who instinctively made his body smaller and dropped his tail to avoid confrontation. Frank noticed this and cocked his head in confusion, ears perked up and turned towards the cowering neko. 

Frank took a few steps forward and offered Patrick his wrist, allowing him to take in his scent, a way to show his intentions were good. Patrick lifted his head just enough to catch the other neko's offered scent and stood a tiny bit taller when he smelled there was no threat coming from Frank. 

Frank, seeing that the ginger neko seemed more relaxed, took this as an invitation to return to his typically hyper self and launched himself at Patrick for a hug. 

Pete watched in shock as this dark haired neko attached himself to Patrick, who reacted by stiffening completely and squeaking out in surprise. Frank seemed oblivious to Patrick's discomfort and proceeded to enthusiastically rub his face against the younger boy while sniffing at Patrick's neck and clothing. 

Pete did NOT like seeing his boyfriend being scented by someone else and all of a sudden all of Patrick's insane and over possessive actions made complete sense. Pete may not be endowed with the same sensitive olfactory senses as a neko and wouldn't be able to smell Frank on Patrick, but he still did not appreciate the act of someone else putting their scent, their mark, their fucking claim on HIS Patrick. 

Trying to be respectful, but a heartbeat away from wanting to throw a punch, Pete stepped in and forcefully pried Frank away from Patrick. 

“Hey, hey, hey. Enough of that.” Pete said with a forced chuckle as he yanked Frank and shoved into Gerard's side. Patrick looked absolutely relieved and went to stand behind the shield of his boyfriend’s body. 

Mikey and Gerard were openly laughing and tugging Frank back to keep him standing beside them, amused by the way Frank made other people feel overwhelmed so quickly. Frank was oblivious to the not-so-warm reception of his affections and continued to beam and hop from foot to foot in excitement. “Dude! Patrick! It's so great to meet you! You smell really nice! And you have kittens?! That's so cool! Can we meet them? What are their names? Oh man, I wish I could have one! Hey! Hey hey hey! We should hang out soon! Maybe today? Hey Gee, can we go over their house today?!”

Gerard shook his head and put on a stern face. “Frankie, babe, calm down. Remember what we've discussed about not getting so riled up around new people.” Gerard turned his attention back to his friends. “Sorry about that. Frankie is...enthusiastic when he meets new people but I assure you he knows how to be chill. He's just excited to meet you guys.”

They all ended up chatting a little bit longer, Pete catching up with both Gerard and Mikey and exchanging contact info with the promise of meeting up again soon. Frank could barely hold back his excitement. 

**

“Patrick Stump? The doctor will see you now.” A pretty young nurse called out into the waiting room, scanning the faces of the patients to see which one would be next. 

Pete stood up, turning to coax a nervous Patrick who did not want to leave his seat. “Come on, Trickybaby. It's okay, it's just a follow up. No need to be nervous, I promise.”

Patrick shook his head and cast a pair of sorrowful doe eyes at Pete. “Kitten, come on. We already talked about this.” Pete had a note of sternness in his voice that Patrick knew would lead to trouble if he didn't behave. The neko was trying to manage his temper and behaviour, he really was, but it was so hard sometimes. His only association with a doctor’s visit was terrifying and wanted nothing more than to shut down and run. But he had to keep Pete happy. 

With great hesitation, Patrick stood up, head down and tail between legs, and followed the nurse and Pete into the examination room. 

The nurse proceeded to take Patrick's vitals and temperature, making quick notes on a sheet of paper that was attached to a clipboard, then informed them that the doctor would be in momentarily.

Once the nurse exited the room, Pete pulled a rolling chair up next to the examination table and took Patrick's hands in his own. “See? Nothing at all to be afraid of. I know what happened last week was scary but you're all better now. The doctor is just gonna talk to us to make sure you've recovered properly. This is standard procedure, baby. Then, I'll take you out for a treat. Sounds good?”

Patrick perked up at the promise of a treat. “Okay, Petey. I'm sorry for being so bad.”

There was a succinct knock at the door before it opened and Dr. Bodner walked in. “Hello again, Pete, Patrick. How have we been doing this week?”

“Much better, Doctor. Patrick’s fever is completely gone and he's back to normal.”

“Good, good...I'm glad to hear that.” Dr. Bodner opened up what they assumed was Patrick's medical file and took a seat in front of the neko. Pete sat in a metal chair off to the side of Patrick's examination table so he could keep holding his hand. “The nurse already took all of your vitals and everything appears fine. Now, as you know we completed a full work up when you were in the urgent care center since you had no previous records.” Pete loved how this doctor never bothered with any chit chat and always went straight to work. 

“The majority of the lab results came up normal but there were a couple of questionable findings.”

Pete wasn't expecting anything negative and gripped Patrick's hand in surprise. “What do you mean by ‘questionable findings’ doctor?” 

When Patrick noticed Pete's agitation, the neko became even more nervous himself. 

“In both the blood and urine samples a very high level of human chorionic gonadotropin hormones were detected. I went ahead and had an additional genetic test special ordered on the blood sample to verify the findings and those came back positive for the presence of carrier capabilities. So, today I wanted to--”

“Wait, hold on a second.” Pete interrupted while he stood up. “What does that fucking mean?”

“Well, Mr. Wentz, it means that Patrick has tested positive for reproductive capability which, though rare for male nekos, is not unheard of. Also, the increased level of hGC hormones found in both sets of lab work indicate that he is currently pregnant.”

Going completely pale, Pete dropped Patrick's hand and slowly sank back down into his seat. His mouth hung open and he silently stared at the doctor. 

“I have ordered an ultrasound to be performed today so we can assess how far along he is and determine the well being of the fetus.”

Pete just stared. 

“So, if you'll excuse me for just a moment, I'm going to go have the ultrasound technician retrieve the equipment so we can proceed.”

Dr. Bodner smiled and started to head out of the office before turning back to address them both again. “Congratulations, gentlemen.”

Once the door was closed and they were alone for the moment, Pete started to shake. “Oh my god.”

“Pete? What...what did the doctor mean??”

Suddenly, everything made fucking sense. Patrick not having another heat since the first one. His wild mood swings. The incessant cleaning and nesting. The drastic changes in appetite and diet. The nausea and vomiting. 

Oh dear gods…

“Pete?”

“Oh my god…”

“Pete, please.”

“Oh my god…”

“PETE!”

Pete was going into shock. His body numb, ears ringing, heart racing, breathing labored...but he tried to pull his shit together. Patrick needed him and the doctor was going to be back any moment. 

“Tricky…” Pete carefully stood up so he could sit beside Patrick on the table, gathering the terrified neko’s hands in his own. “You heard what the doctor said, right? He says you're pregnant and he's bringing in a machine that will help him look inside your belly to see how big the...the baby is.”

Patrick shook in Pete's hands as he gasped out. “...no…”

Pete nodded. 

They sat there silent; both deathly pale, trembling with nerves, minds each swirling with confusion. 

Pete berated himself for not educating himself with neko anatomy. For not taking precautions. For not using protection. Pete knew he was clean and Patrick...well, he had never even KISSED someone before. Never for a moment did Pete even THINK they could make a mistake this big. 

But they could fix this, right? Pete looked over at Patrick and took in his appearance. Now that he knew he was pregnant, the slight weight gain around his middle was a little noticeable but it wasn't too much. Maybe it wasn't too late to terminate the pregnancy. Neither one of them was ready for this. They could just take care of it and then just be more careful from here on out. Right?

The doctor’s warning knock sounded and soon the door opened revealing Dr. Bodner’s return along with a female technician wheeling in a portable ultrasound machine and monitor. 

In numbed shock, Pete watched as the equipment was set up, Patrick's shirt was removed, a clear gel spread over his lower abdomen, the technician rolled the ultrasound wand over his now somewhat protruding belly…

“...and there we have it.” The technician held the wand steady, finally having found the spot she was looking for to get a clear image on the screen. The doctor made a few clicks of the keyboard to capture stills at various angles and turned to the screen for a closer look. 

Pete was brought back to reality after a few moments when the doctor started to address them directly once again. A freeze framed image remained on the screen while the doctor began to review his findings. “Again, congratulations gentlemen. Well, from what I can see it appears that Patrick is close to 12 weeks along at this point.”

Twelve weeks. Three months. 

Oh my god. 

“...and as you can see here, here, and here” the doctor used a stylus to circle three black and white blobs on the screen, “are the fetuses.”

Fetuses? Plural?

“It seems you are carrying triplets, Patrick.” The Doctor smiled warmly as he gave the neko the news. 

Triplets?

Oh my god…

“I'm going to set up a referral for you to see a very well esteemed colleague of mine that has an OB/GYN practice in the city but he is also one of the most respected doctors specializing in male neko pregnancy and neonatology. His name is Dr. William Chavez and you will be in wonderful care with him. Now, do you have any questions?”

Yeah, Pete had a million things he wanted to ask but mostly he just wanted to know what the procedure was for the termination of a pregnancy. 

He lifted his head, looking at the doctor, poised to ask that very question, ready for the possible judgement the doctor may bestow upon them for their decision...when from the corner of his eye he could see Patrick hunched over, staring down at his stomach. Pete's attention turned to the neko and he watched as Patrick lifted a shaky hand and started to rub his mostly flat belly with the hint of a smile on his face. 

“Kittens…”

Pete felt his ears start ringing before his knees began to buckle and everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't be stingy with your comments. It is the fuel for a writer's motivation.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Trick? I think we need to have a talk…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...and then she reappeared from the darkest depths of the ether with the chapter.
> 
> As always, unbeta'd.

The drive over to Andy and Joe's house took place in almost complete silence. Pete was still a bit shaken from the embarrassing fainting spell that he experienced after receiving the news that Patrick was not only pregnant, but carrying triplets. The shock of this information was simply overwhelming. Pete had made the incorrect assumption that they would be on the same page about terminating the pregnancy. Patrick was still so young and painfully inexperienced and Pete...well, he was still learning how to be a fully functioning adult himself. The responsibility of taking care of just himself and Patrick was already a bit daunting but the addition of three babies? It was just too much. Way too much. No, it wasn’t something he could handle. He didn't want this. 

 

Pete maintained a white knuckled grip on the steering wheel, mind racing, heart still hammering. He only blacked out in the doctor's office for about a minute but his body was still feeling a bit disconnected and strange. While passing out was never a good experience, the fact that it occurred in a doctor's office was definitely ideal. The doctor and nurse were quick to assist and administer some ammonia inhalants to rouse him back to full consciousness and allowed him to lie back on the examination table until he felt okay enough to leave. He was still a bit wobbly when they got to the car, but he wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. 

 

Patrick seemed so content with the news of his pregnancy and Pete didn't know how to handle that. All he could think of was that he needed to speak with Andy as soon as humanly possible. Andy would be able to talk to Patrick and explain why they couldn't go through with the pregnancy. Andy could reason with the Neko. Andy was avidly pro choice and fully aware of their unique situation. Pete was confident that he could help. 

 

The silent ride to Andy and Joe's house was starting to work against the raging thoughts in Pete’s mind, though he did opt to keep the radio off so he could focus on the overwhelming thoughts in his head. During the drive, Pete chanced a glance at Patrick from time to time, sitting quietly in the passenger seat, right hand lightly trailing over his stomach while he quietly purred and occasionally murmured to his belly. 

 

Pete hoped Patrick wasn’t becoming too attached too quickly. 

 

**

 

“Hey guys! What are you doing here?” Joe asked as he opened the front door to his house, surprised to see Pete and Patrick standing outside. “Come in! Come in!” Joe said as he pulled the door open wider and excitedly invited his friends inside. 

 

They followed Joe towards the living room, Joe hollering up the stairs as they crossed past the threshold. “Andy! Get down here! Pete and Patrick are here!”

 

The trio gathered into the living room and took their usual seats on the large leather sectional as they waited for Andy to come downstairs. 

 

“What’s up, guys? Something seems weird.” Joe, ever the observant one, asked. He looked at Pete, face whiter than he’s ever seen it and eyes wide; and over at Patrick, who had a soft almost peaceful expression on his face. They looked so completely different and it just confused and worried Joe even more. 

 

Pete opened his mouth to reply the moment Andy came striding into the room, all smiles and wet hair still being towelled off as he took a seat in his favorite spot. Andy could immediately feel the same weird vibes that were in the air as Joe did. “Hey! I didn’t know you were coming over. You guys okay? What’s going on?”

 

Everyone sat in silence for a few moments while Pete fiddled with his hands and looked to be composing himself to speak. “Well, you see...umm. Okay, so this afternoon we went to the doctor for Patrick’s follow up from the urgent care visit, yeah? And, well...you see…” Pete kept his gaze lowered and he appeared to be moments away from a full blown panic attack. Joe and Andy remained quiet, studying their friend’s face, and allowed Pete to try and break whatever news was in his head to them.

 

“You see, um...I got...I mean, Patrick has…” Pete paused for a moment to take a breath and was cut off when Patrick reached over to still his fidgeting hands; soulful blue eyes looking up to meet Andy and Joe’s stare.

 

“I’m pregnant.”

 

Andy and Joe shared matching looks of shock; eyes flitted over to read Patrick’s obviously serene yet pleased expression and then over to Pete who appeared as if he just learned that someone in his family had died. Of course they had the same obvious questions as Pete first did but they were more concerned with the apparent discord between their two friends.

 

Joe was the first to speak up. “I’m sorry but did you say that you’re pregnant?”

 

A soft blush spread across Patrick’s rounded face as his gaze fell down to his abdomen. A small smile creeping onto his full lips as he placed his right hand over his belly.

 

“I’m going to have kittens.”

 

Andy and Joe looked over at Pete for confirmation and found their friend looking visibly pale, almost yellow, staring blankly down at the floor; appearing as if he were moments away from throwing up or passing out. Andy could tell he was going into shock and definitely did not look like he shared in Patrick’s obvious contentment.

 

“Holy fuck...HOW?? I mean, well, I...that’s amazing, guys! Congratulations!  Okay, no I’m not going to ask the obvious. I’m pretty sure I can figure out ‘how this happened’. But... _ how did this happen _ ??” Joe couldn’t help it. He was never the most diplomatic with his words when he was caught off guard.

 

While Patrick seemed calmly content with the prospect of starting a family, it was pretty apparent to Joe and Andy that Pete was feeling something else entirely. The usually outspoken and overly energetic man was a silent bundle of shaking limbs and a pale face. Patrick was understandably oblivious as he sat back on the couch, stroking his belly, and quietly whispering soft murmurs and purrs to the slightly noticeable bump under his hand.

 

Joe was still prattling off awkward declarations of congratulations to a stoic Pete, who did nothing in means of a reply. Andy was now completely sure that Pete had slipped into a slight state of mental shock as his desperately withdrawn state suggested there was something else going on in his mind. 

 

“Hey Pete,” Andy spoke up abruptly, cutting off Joe’s forcefully cheerful soliloquy. “I got that new illustrator program installed on my computer and I was hoping I could show you a couple of things I have questions on. Joe? Do you mind getting something for Patrick to drink and keep him company for a few minutes? This won’t take long.”

 

Joe gave Andy a questioning look that was returned with a set jaw and a determined expression from Andy; an indication that he wanted Joe to just go along with him and he would explain later. “Oh, yeah sure. Hey Trick, let’s go to the kitchen. You can tell me all about the big news!”

 

Andy lead Pete upstairs and once they were safely tucked away behind the closed door of the second floor spare room, Pete appeared to finally unclench and relax slightly. The dark haired man stood in front of Andy’s computer desk, hand gripping the back of an office chair for support, while taking several deep and controlled breaths. The color slowly began to return to his face and the tremor in his hands was starting to fade. 

 

“Pete?” Andy waited for his friend to turn around and face him. He didn’t want to rush Pete into speaking before he had a chance to collect himself and gather his thoughts. Andy wanted to comfort Pete but knew he needed to wait for the right time. 

 

Pete stood to his full height and took another breath. His left hand maintained a white knuckled grip on the back of the chair; possibly for support or simply for the need to keep his hand steady. “Andy, I don’t know what to do. I really need your help, dude.”

 

Andy looked at Pete with a crushing amount of concern etched upon his face. “Sure, Pete. What do you need, buddy. Tell me what’s going on in your head and what I can do to help you out.”

 

Pete gaped at him for a moment before crossing the room and grabbing Andy harshly by the shoulders. “Dude, Patrick...he’s...he’s pregnant. Fucking PREGNANT! This wasn’t supposed to happen! But I...he...I can tell he’s happy and...but...we can’t. We just CAN’T have a fucking kid. And it’s not even just one singular kid, dude. No, it’s triplets. Fucking TRIPLETS! He needs to get rid of them, Andy. We’re too young, dude. I can’t support one kid let alone three! I can barely manage taking care of just myself and Patrick! What the fuck am I supposed to do? I need your help, Andy. You have to talk to him. Explain shit to him. I can’t do it, dude. I can’t. He needs to get an abortion. There’s just no other option. This wasn’t supposed to happen! Andy...PLEASE! Please say you’ll help! Please...you have to convince him--”

 

“PETE! Calm the fuck down!” Andy shook loose from Pete’s vice grip and stared at his friend in horror. “Pete, you cannot POSSIBLY expect me to do this for you! You need to talk to Patrick yourself but you need to calm down and be RATIONAL. You’re freaking out. Think about what the fuck you’re saying here for a second.”  

 

Pete simply stared at his friend in silence. He was so confused and completely distressed, unable to process another rational thought as he looked over Andy’s face, hoping against all hope, that the man before him could find the solution to all of his problems.

 

“Andy...okay, yeah I’m sorry for freaking out. I’m calm, I promise.” Pete relaxed his posture and took a deep breath. He closed his eyes and steadied his inhalations, in through the nose and out through the mouth...steady, steady, steady. Stay fucking  _ steady _ . If he was a mess, then his friends wouldn’t help him out. He needed to get his shit together.

 

Andy watched as his friend tried to compose himself. “Look, Pete. I understand that this feels pretty fucking crazy, okay? But you need to know that you are not in this alone, Pete. Got it? Joe and I will help you out, okay? Do you hear me?”

 

Pete’s eyes welled with tears; shock, adrenaline, fear, and a vast sense of appreciation all catching up with him at once. “Fuck, Andy. What the shit am I supposed to do? I’m fucking terrified, dude.” He reached out for Andy and simply crumbled in his friend’s arms, openly weeping. “I have no idea what to do. This can’t be happening.”

 

Andy held onto his friend and did his best to soothe him. “It is. This is happening, Pete. Look, this is a huge deal but you can get through it. There are programs you can apply to for assistance. It isn’t the end of the world.”

 

Pete forcefully shook his head. “No, dude. I really don’t want kids. He needs to get an abortion. That’s that.” 

 

Andy was quiet, trying his best to bite his tongue. While he was avidly pro-choice, he also felt the way Pete was going about this was all wrong. This was  _ Patrick’s  _ choice in the end and if Pete didn’t give his full support from the start, then it was sure to end disastrously for them both.

 

Before he could open his mouth to try and explain this reasoning, there was a soft knock followed by the door being opened. “Hey guys. What’s going on? Everything okay?” Joe asked tentatively when he saw the state that Pete was in.

 

Joe carefully closed the door behind him and walked over to where Pete was standing with Andy, both men looking stressed and upset. “What’s going on, guys? Did something happen?”

 

Andy’s expression softened slightly. “Yeah, Pete’s...he’s not taking the news about Patrick’s pregnancy too well.”

 

Joe looked over at Pete. “Oh shit. Pete, dude, what’s going on.”

 

Pete looked at Joe with an incredulous expression. “What’s going on is my life is fucking falling apart and Andy here isn’t willing to fucking help!”

 

“Pete, that’s not fair…”

 

“No, Andy! Fuck off! I don’t give a shit what your bullshit political or moral views are. I am your best fucking friend and I need your help. So are you going to fucking help or not?”

 

Joe, not one to ever sit idly when he feels his husband is being mistreated, quickly jumped to his defense. “Hey, hey, hey. Pete, what the fuck? You can’t talk to Andy that way, fucker. Why don’t you just chill the fuck out for a second and fill me in on what’s going on so we can help.”

 

Andy and Pete gave Joe a less dramatically charged update into the current state of Pete’s mind. It was a lot to take in for everyone, but after chatting for a few minutes, they managed to convince Pete to calm down and just think things over for a few days before saying or doing anything rash. The trio then all went back out to the living room to join Patrick, who was lying on his side on the couch, caressing his belly and humming softly to himself. 

 

Pete felt like he was going to throw up.

 

**

 

Pete was glad he took his friends’ advice and gave himself some time to meditate over Patrick’s pregnancy for a little while. It took almost an entire month but he was now at a point where panic wasn’t threatening to consume him entirely every time he opened his mouth to speak to his boyfriend. Unfortunately, while Pete was doing his best to process everything, it did cause him to distance himself from Patrick. 

 

Patrick, of course, noticed the change in Pete’s demeanor and did his best to keep quiet and not bother him too much. It was easy considering how much Pete was working away from the house these days. Pete said he was trying to take on more of a full time role rather than the sporadic assignments he’d get as a freelance writer, but that meant spending a certain number of hours per week in an actual office. For Pete, it was a blessing. A Pete Wentz freak out wasn’t something that worked itself out overnight and many an hour was spent on the phone or visiting Joe and Andy to rant and ramble his verbal vomit. They all knew this was something that Pete needed to process and was trying to shelter Patrick from any rejection or pain by distancing himself as he worked through his fears in private. 

 

All too often Patrick’s requests for affection were met with a quick jerk away by Pete, who all of a sudden seemed to hate being touched. It hurt the neko, but Pete needed more time to evaluate and accept this drastic change in his life. 

 

At first, Patrick was tolerant and rather oblivious to the distance Pete was setting. Now, as he was approaching week 16 of his pregnancy and the physical ailments were subsiding, it was as if he was recharged and infused with a newfound energy. Patrick’s food aversions were being replaced with a ravenous appetite and his need for constant napping was replaced with a renewed desire for physical attention.

 

He was a few weeks into his second trimester and he was starting to get touch starved and really fucking lonely.

 

Worse still, he was feeling rejected and ignored.

 

Since Pete was having to work longer hours at the actual New Times offices, Patrick had taken to spending the majority of his days surfing the internet and looking for cute ideas to redecorate the office into a nursery and adding items to his Baby Registry Wishlist on Amazon. The neko understood the need for Pete to take on a more traditional full time work schedule on top of the freelance offers he was still accepting; they had so many items to buy, an office to convert, and even with medical insurance there would still be significant medical bills and doctor visits to think of. 

 

Patrick was quickly approaching the 16 week mark and would be going for his first visit to Dr. William Chavez and he was beyond thrilled. If what he read on the internet was correct, he may be able to determine the genders of the babies!

 

With the thrill of  _ baby baby baby _ on the brain, as well as some serious nesting instincts starting to kick in now that all of his hormones were stabilizing and morning sickness had subsided, Patrick decided to start rearranging the furniture in the office in preparation of the renovation. 

 

Standing in the doorway, hands on his now thickened hips, the neko looked into the fully packed and cluttered office. He had no idea where to start. Pete was supposed to help with this project since everything in this room was used for his work, but now that he was spending more time at the office instead of working from home, he told Patrick that he would be able to get rid of most everything in the spare room. Patrick knew it wasn’t his place to throw out or donate anything, but he figured he could get a head start in getting most of the items packed in boxes and clearing the larger pieces of furniture to one side of the room. Thankfully, there wasn’t much furniture in the office to start with; a computer desk and rolling chair, a sofa loveseat, and three overflowing bookcases. There was also a small closet that was used for the extra linens and towels and Patrick figured he could just move those items to the hallway closet so that’s where he decided he would start. Pete wasn’t due back until around 7pm so he had all afternoon to work.

 

**

 

Pete was exhausted and so happy to finally be coming home. He checked out of work earlier than planned, deciding that he wanted nothing more than to order some chinese take away and watch a movie or two with Patrick. It had been a while since they had really spent some quality time together, and while that was primarily Pete’s fault (for cramming in as many work hours as possible and then spending most his free time continuing his Big Pete Wentz Freakout to Andy and Joe) he now had reached a level of calm and acceptance. Seeing Patrick so excited about the pregnancy was a blessing. The neko was emotionally fragile and damaged enough to begin with so if he hadn’t taken this news well, Pete would have definitely imploded under the strain. Thankfully, Joe and Andy always made sure to be on call to help him through his crisis and shield Patrick from the backlash. Pete most definitely owed them big time for saving his ass, yet again.

 

Entering the apartment, Pete was disappointed to not be greeted by a furry ball of excitement like he usually was. 

 

“Patrick? I’m home!” Pete waited a moment for a reply but the only sounds he could hear were some banging and scraping from the office. He placed his messenger bag on the couch and headed down the hall to where the noises were coming from. When he reached the spare room, he freaked out. 

 

“Fuck! Patrick! What the fuck are you doing!” Pete didn’t mean to scream but when he walked into the room to find his pregnant boyfriend lifting and dragging a fucking loveseat across the room, his protective instincts kicked in.

 

Startled by the yelling, Patrick immediately dropped the sofa, grabbing his chest in shock as he yelped. “Pete! You scared me!”

 

The older man rushed in and grabbed Patrick by the shoulders, pinching the skin with more force than intended. “You CANNOT be moving heavy shit around like that in your condition! What the fuck were you thinking? You could hurt the babies doing things like that, Patrick! Why are you moving all the furniture, baby? You need to have me do these things for you.”

 

Patrick was wincing at both Pete’s words and the solid grip that the older man had on his shoulders. Covering his belly with his hands, Patrick tried to tug away from Pete’s grasp. “I was just trying to get the room ready. I know you’ve been too busy to do it so I wanted to help get a head start on things. I didn’t mean to make you mad.”

 

Pete relaxed and wrapped his arms around the neko, drawing him close and rocking from side to side. “I’m sorry I yelled, baby. It’s just...I was just surprised to see you doing that. You’re 4 months pregnant now and you really need to be careful and make sure you do as little strenuous activities as possible. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you or my babies.”

 

Patrick blinked up at Pete, lip starting to quiver and tears welling in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do bad. I was just...I’m sorry.”

 

And in that moment Pete realized that he wanted this family more than anything in the world.

  
  


**

 

A few days before Pete and Patrick were scheduled to see Dr. Chavez, Pete received a rather unexpected call from Gerard. 

 

They exchanged numbers when they ran into one another at the grocery store some time back and texted a couple of times, both men making idle promises to meet up soon. Today seemed to be the day since Gerard, Mikey, and Frank were all going to home and decided to invite them to come over for a few hours. 

 

Frank had been asking for Patrick constantly since they met and his determination was as insufferable as it was endearing. 

 

Their apartment in Wynwood was everything that Pete expected from his artistic friend; a huge industrial loft with lacquered concrete floors and enough space for the three to live comfortably. Gee’s workspace was sectioned off towards the back of the studio and a few makeshift walls were erected to give a the living areas a more private feel. 

 

While Gee and Mikey caught up with Pete, Frank was quick to worm his way over to Patrick, ecstatic that he was finally going to hang out with the shy ginger neko.

 

“Patrick!” Frank was not one to contain his excitement, even on his best behaviour. “I’ve been telling Gee and Mikey to have you come over for so long! I can’t wait to get to know you. So,” Frank scooted closer to Patrick on the couch so they were touching at the knees; Patrick’s slight discomfort completely unnoticed by the other neko. “You’re having kittens! I’ve always wanted to have one of my own but I wasn't born with carrier capabilities. What's it like? Tell me what it’s like.”

 

Patrick was still apprehensive around people and he didn’t grow up around other nekos, so Frank with his overly excitable personality and seeming lack of personal space was a little overwhelming. The younger neko protectively covered his swollen belly with the palms of both of his hands, lowering his chin but maintaining eye contact. “It’s been okay, I guess. I have my first doctor’s appointment soon and I think we’ll get to find out the gender of babies.”

 

Frank’s steady excitement seemed to dwindle a bit as he closed his partially opened mouth and cocked his head, peering curiously at Patrick.

 

“What? What is it, Frank?”

 

Frank’s face started to furrow, an uncharacteristically angry expression taking over his features. Without warning, the sleek dark neko stood up and started to make his way across the room...towards Pete.

 

“Hey, Wentz! What the fuck?” Frank barked as he marched over towards where Pete was sitting to hover intimidatingly over him.

 

While their size difference was minute, Pete sat back further in his seat, effectively startled by Frank’s sudden and aggressive approach. “Uh...what the fuck  _ what _ , exactly?”

 

Gerard, familiar with Frank’s temperament, stood up and pulled him back a little to give some room between the two. “Frankie, back off. Pete didn’t do anything. He just got here.”

 

Frank yanked his arm away from Gerard’s grasp, the hair on his tail starting to poof. “EXACTLY! He hasn’t been doing ANYTHING!” And without further elaboration, Frank stormed off to return to Patrick’s side. He said something to the ginger neko that the other three men were unable to hear and watched as Patrick lowered his eyes, nodded his head, and took Frank’s offered hand to help stand, walking out of the living area and behind the bedroom divider. 

 

Pete was confused by the exchange but since both Gerard and Mikey seemed unconcerned, he decided it best to continue on with their conversation as if nothing happened. Besides, he could always talk to Patrick about it later when they didn’t have an audience present. 

 

Their catch up was good. It had been far too long since they had hung out and reconnecting with old friends was such a relief. He loved Joe and Andy, but Pete was starting to feel like he was burdening them too much with his neediness lately. He filled the Way brothers in on Patrick’s pregnancy and they seemed excited for him. Well, as excited as an almost non-expressive Gerard and practically emotionally comatose Mikey could express. They were actually great listeners and took in the tale of a month long Pete Wentz Freak Out in stride, offering up jokes at his expense and the promise of a willing ear to listen anytime he needed someone to vent to. 

 

Before they knew it, almost an hour and a half had passed and Pete realized that he hadn’t heard a sound from either Frank or Patrick. He didn’t want to overstay his welcome and he had an article he needed to finish editing at home, so Pete decided to wrap things up. They were heading back towards where the two nekos had retreated to earlier to gather Patrick, when they were met with something that made all three of the men stop dead in their tracks.

 

“What the fuck is this shit?” Pete managed to choke out. 

 

“Oh my fucking god, FRANK! Dude, no. What are you doing?” Gerard yelled, looking equally shocked. Mikey just looked blank.

 

Before them were Frank and Patrick, curled up on the bed. Patrick was shirtless, seemingly asleep yet purring loudly as Frank spooned up behind him, massaging the ginger neko and petting his pregnant belly. 

 

He locked eyes with Pete, challenge set in his stare. “What am I doing? Oh, nothing much. Only taking care of him because apparently YOU won’t.” Frank lowered his head to nuzzle the top of Patrick’s head, keeping his blazing hazel eyes locked on Pete’s. “Tell me I’m wrong, Wentz. Tell me you HAVEN’T been neglecting him. Go ahead, cos I can SMELL his sadness. It’s all over him, how he DOESN’T smell like you. So go ahead and fucking tell me. Lie to me, I dare you.”

 

Pete was frozen, mind a complete blank. And the worst part of it all, was Frank was absolutely correct. As much as Pete would liked to have denied it, the absolute truth of the matter was that yes, he had severely neglected his duties in caring for his pregnant boyfriend.

 

The heartbreak and shame was overwhelming.

 

“Okay, Frankie. That’s enough. Even for you this is crossing the line. Get the fuck up right now.” Gerard had his arms crossed and looked absolutely disgusted by his neko’s behavior. 

 

Mikey took Pete by the elbow and shook to get his attention. “Dude, I am so fucking sorry. Frankie...well, he’s always wanted to have a baby. He’s not trying to be a dick but it’s just his instinct to get possessive like that. He doesn’t mean what he said.”

 

“Bullshit! I meant everything I fucking said. Don’t try and sugar coat shit, Mikes.” Frank was now sitting up behind Patrick, arm around the younger neko’s shoulder, hovering protectively. When Gerard started to approach the bed to pull Frank away, the dark haired neko started to growl loudly, finally stirring Patrick from his stupor. 

 

Bleary and clouded blue eyes looked around the room as he started to sit up. Frank had yet to release his grip on Patrick and he pulled the smaller neko closer to his chest when he started to sit up. Still a bit foggy from his nap, Patrick instinctively relaxed back into Frank’s hold, purring softly as a heavily tattooed hand snaked its way down to caress his belly. 

 

Pete’s daze finally broke and a wave of fury bubbled to the surface.

 

“Come on, Trick. It’s time to go home.” Pete said as he approached the cuddling pair of nekos. His hands were curled into fists and he was doing his best to bite his tongue. He didn’t want to start a fight with Frank or do anything to further upset Patrick. He knew what the tattooed neko said about him was right but he’d be damned if he was going to allow him to continue to manhandle Patrick. “Frank, please get Patrick’s shirt for him and I would greatly appreciate if you took your hands off of my boyfriend.” 

 

Hearing Pete’s voice seemed to fully rouse Patrick, who now looked wide awake and a bit shocked that he was shirtless and being cradled by Frank. “Pete...I...Frank and I were just talking and...and…”

 

“Trick, it's okay. Everything is fine. It’s just time to go home now, baby. Okay?” 

 

Patrick nodded and shifted to squirm out of Frank’s hold, looking around the bed for his discarded shirt. He was embarrassed and terrified that Pete was going to be upset with him. He could smell the waves of fury coming off of Pete and almost felt reluctant to leave. If truth be told, Patrick was feeling adored and cared for for the first time in a while and was enjoying the affection but he realized now he may have to pay the price when they were home.

 

Soon, everyone said their goodbyes and Pete and Patrick walked down to the car and drove back home in complete silence.

 

**

 

“Trick? I think we need to have a talk…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot express how important comments are for a writer. I received a comment on the previous chapter this morning and that was the fuel to inspire me to finally finish this chapter and post. PLEASE LEAVE SOME WORDS!
> 
> Also, come by my Tumblr for a chat! @laudanumcafe


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Trick? I think we need to have a talk…”

_ “Trick? I think we need to have a talk…” _

 

_ ** _

 

Patrick may have never been in a relationship before...a boy who has never been kissed, never entwined his heart and mind with someone else’s...but you don’t need personal experience to know that the words “ _we need to have a talk_ ” usually ends up meaning _bad_ _news_. It’s a universally known fact, ingrained in both humans and nekos, that those six words, especially coupled with a defeated tone of voice, is the preface to the receipt of some sort of painful let down. 

 

Pete was visibly tense; shoulders tight and raised high to point towards his ears. His hands were clenched tightly into fists, hidden from sight and nestled securely in the front pocket of his hoodie. They were both kind of just standing awkwardly in the living room, having just arrived home from visiting the Way brothers...and, of course, Frank. 

 

Patrick knew that Pete had been upset by the physicality he shared with the dark haired neko earlier. Patrick was so desperately touch starved and Frank was just so warm and comforting...it was too difficult to deny himself the luxury of some affection. Patrick was fully aware that what was happening between him and Frank was not the best idea, but he found himself unable to listen to that little voice of reason in his head and pull away. He  _ wanted _ his Pete to be the one to rub him and scent him, to massage his aching muscles, to soothe his irritatingly itchy skin by applying lotion across the tight expanse of his belly, taut and stretched due to the rapid growth of their children. He  _ wanted  _ Pete to be the one to jump to his attention and address his needs. 

 

But Pete didn’t seem to want to have anything to do with him right now. 

 

Pete was...well, Patrick could tell Pete wasn’t very happy about the news of the neko’s pregnancy but he consciously chose to remain oblivious to the warning signs. Patrick chose to convince himself that Pete’s distance and disinterest was non-existent. Patrick was able to hear Pete’s conversations late at night when he thought Patrick was sleeping...sleeping alone in their bed...the bed that Pete no longer wished to share. In fact, on most nights, Pete took to sleeping on the couch instead of curling up with him in their bed. It was hurting Patrick more than he was willing to admit, because to admit his pain and worry would inevitably force him to realize the truth... 

 

Pete didn’t love him anymore. Pete didn’t want to have his babies. 

 

_ “Trick? I think we need to have a talk…” _

 

Patrick hung his head, fully defeated. There was no way he could continue to play pretend anymore. The time has come to face reality and there was no way to continue ignoring the situation. Pete walking in on Frank caring for him...rubbing, soothing, whispering sweet words of praise and encouragement...Patrick knew that was Pete’s final tipping point. 

 

“Yeah, okay Pete. We can talk.” 

 

Pete lifted his head to look over at Patrick; head hung low, face pale to an almost ashen grey color, hands shaking with nerves. Patrick looked so small, so broken, so afraid. 

 

And it was all Pete’s fault. 

 

“Patrick, I…” Pete faltered, words that always fell so easily from his lips left frozen in his head. The amount of guilt coursing through Pete’s mind was paralyzing and all he could do was stand and watch Patrick’s shivering body; watch helplessly as tears fell silently down sickly pale cheeks. The silence stretched out over several heartbeats before Patrick looked up and met Pete’s gaze. 

 

“It’s okay, Pete. I know.” Patrick couldn’t hold back the tears pouring down his face but he did his best not to collapse from the intensity of his emotions. “I know. It’s over isn’t it?”

 

Pete was still frozen, paralyzed by his own fears...unable to find the right words to address everything that needed to be discussed. 

 

Patrick knew what that silence meant.  _ Silence means compliance _ he said to himself. He remembered Pete saying that a few times before. 

 

Patrick took in a deep breath, willing himself not to puke as his stomach lurched with the intensity of the emotions inside of him. “I’ll leave, Pete. It’s okay. Just...do you think you can ask Andy if I can stay with him and Joe? Just for a little while? Or...or I guess I can just go back to the shelter. That’s probably a better idea. I don’t want to be a burden to them like I’ve been to you.”

 

Patrick looked up at Pete, completely broken and all hope extinguished when he saw that the older man was just standing there; blank faced and still. “I’ll...I’m just going to pack a few things. I’ll leave most of what you’ve bought me, I promise. I just...I just need a couple things. I’m...Pete...I’m so sorry. I’m sorry. I…” Patrick’s face started to crumble; the wracking sobs he had been holding back now starting to take over his body. With the surge of emotions finally taking over him, Patrick felt the contents of his stomach start to come up. Not wanting to anger Pete further, the neko ran for the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet in time before he has vomiting uncontrollably. 

 

He was sobbing and puking violently, the combination of gasping inhalations meeting with the ejections of the contents of his stomach causing him to choke; bile aspirating into his lungs, making his breathing difficult. It burned. Everything burned. His throat, his stomach, his broken heart.  _ Mein Herz brennt... _

 

Broken memories of his mother suffering in a shelter with four babies...fear that his own children will be taken away from him and rehomed against his will...just like he was.

 

Gasping and crying, Patrick slowly slid face-down to the tiles before everything went black. 

 

**

 

Waking up slowly to the feeling of a cool, wet cloth wiping along his arms and chest was confusing and slightly disorienting. There was no moment of blissful ignorance as the neko came fluttering back to consciousness; the very first thing on his confused mind was the horrible one-sided conversation he had with Pete.  _ We need to have a talk… _

 

Memories of distress and rejection came first. His other senses shortly followed the slow ascent into awareness.

 

_ Feeling _ . The sensation of something wet and cool being rubbed along his body...a careful hand in his hair, petting him gently.

 

_ Smell _ . The sharp, acrid smell of a chemical substance...stinging his nose...awakening his mind. 

 

_ Hearing _ . The sound of his own heartbeat and jagged breathing...the sound of someone’s low murmurs and careful whispers.

 

_ Taste _ . The putrid taste of stale vomit in his mouth, coating his tastebuds with sick. 

 

_ Sight _ . Everything appearing bleary and blurred as he opened his eyes just a slit...just for a moment...

  
  


Groaning and not wanting to face reality, Patrick hesitantly opened his eyes and tried to sit up. Pete was quick to lay a gentle but heavy hand on his chest, silently demanding that he lay back down on the bed. 

 

“Baby, just keep still. You threw up all over yourself. It’s okay, just relax and let me take care of you.”

 

Patrick realized he was shirtless and Pete was wiping a cold, wet hand towel over his upper body. Judging from the strong and medicinal smell, he was using rubbing alcohol most likely. Patrick scrunched up his nose in distaste when a particularly strong puff of the scent hit his nose. 

 

“I know, it’s probably too strong of a smell for someone like you. But my mom used to rub this on my chest whenever I had a dizzy spell as a kid. It’ll help you clear your head a little and I wanted to clean you off a bit. You got really sick, baby. Just relax.”

 

Patrick didn’t have it in him to reply. Why was Pete being so gentle and caring now of all times? Now that things were finally over? Why? Overcome with such confusing and conflicting emotions, the tears started to come back in full force. He knew they were pointless, a complete waste. Somewhere along the line, he lost Pete. Too wrapped up in his naive excitement at the prospect of starting a family to even notice that his mate was in distress. Too distracted and oblivious to see how completely Pete had separated his heart from the neko’s until is was far too late.

 

Tears freely falling, bitter and angry that Pete was showing him some attention now that things were over, Patrick grabbed Pete’s wrist and forcefully pushed his hand away to sit up. “Move. Just...don’t. I’ll get out of your way. You won’t need to bother with me for much longer.”

 

Pete shifted over to gave the neko some space but put his arms out to keep Patrick from getting off the bed just yet. “Baby, listen to me, please. You don’t--”

 

“No, Pete. Stop!” Patrick threw his hand up and pulled away from Pete. “I know  _ exactly _ what you were going to say. You don’t have to explain anything. I really don’t want to hear this. Please, it’s too much! It’s just too--”

 

Patrick was cut off when Pete pulled him onto his lap and held him tight; tan hands cradling the back of the neko’s head and clutching to his back. “No, baby! I DO NOT want you to leave. Not anymore, at least. Look,” Pete pulled back enough so they could make eye contact. “I’m not going to lie to you. Yes, I was scared when we found out about the babies. I was absolutely terrified and my first reaction was to run. Just...pack up and leave or...or send you over to Joe and Andy’s. But that’s NOT what I want, love. I _swear_! I just needed to let all of this _freaking_ _out_ run its course. I didn’t want to have a talk with you to break up, baby. And I am _so fucking sorry_ I’ve been so distant and made you feel that. I have been trying _so hard_ to keep this shit from you but all it did was make me distant and I realized how deeply I fucked up when we were over Gee’s place. Seeing you and Frank...and what Frank said...everything he said was _true_ and I fucking hate myself for making that happen to you.”

 

Pete shifted some more to move Patrick off of his lap, standing up to grab some tissues off of the nightstand. “God, I have been  _ such _ an asshole.” Pete turned his attention back to the nightstand and grabbed a bottle of mouthwash he had placed there earlier. He uncapped it, pouring some of the minty, blue liquid into the cap and handing it to Patrick. “Here, baby. Swish this around your mouth and spit into this cup.” 

 

Patrick did as he was told, taking the empty coffee mug that Pete handed to him after the mouthwash cap. “Thank you. My mouth tastes gross.”

 

Pete took the used coffee mug from Patrick’s cold hands, placed it on the nightstand, and sat next to the neko. “Baby, I love you more than anything.” Pete cupped Patrick’s face in his hands, rubbing his cheeks and jawline with his thumbs. “Please forgive me? I’ve acted like a complete ass and I can’t fathom the idea of you leaving me. Please, baby?”

 

Patrick’s only reply was to start purring before leaning into Pete and kissing him, so thankful for the return of some physical touch.

 

**

 

With their differences finally cast aside and all the misunderstandings discussed and corrected, things between Pete and Patrick were quick to fall back into place. The constant attention and physical affection returned in full force on both sides and Patrick was a very,  _ very _ happy guy. 

 

Pete had requested to cut back his hours at the office and turned down a number of freelance offers he received so he could work on things with Patrick. Relationship issues aside, there was a ton of preparation and planning that they needed to tackle. The cut in hours was temporary, since he still needed to make sure his savings account had plenty of funds for any emergencies and to cover all of the expenses for the first year, at least. 

Patrick was taking an afternoon nap in the bedroom, exhausted after a long day of “supervising” the painting of the nursery. As much as the neko wanted to assist in all of the hands-on aspects, Pete wouldn’t allow Patrick anywhere near the paint and was forced to sit just outside of the doorway, fully protected from the noxious fumes by wearing a painting respirator. The mask bothered Patrick immensely; constantly fidgeting with the elastic bands trying to find a more comfortable adjustment or, thinking he was being stealthy, moving the mask off completely to rest on his forehead. Pete seemed to have developed some sort of telepathic link to Patrick these days. 

Any time the pregnant neko would mess with his respirator or creep even an inch over the threshold to try and help, Pete would pause his work and chastise him. Lightheartedly, mind you, but with enough seriousness in his tone to keep Patrick in line.

 

Manual labor was good for Pete. The hours he put into the redecoration of the nursery gave him time to focus more clearly on his thoughts, and there was a specific and very important idea that he had been mulling over lately. So, once Patrick was put to bed and Pete was alone in the living room, he decided to make an important phone call.

 

**

 

_ “Hello?”  _

 

Pete smiled at the sound of his mother’s voice. They always spoke on a regular basis, usually once a week, so she was more or less up to date with Pete’s life. Well, with one exception...make that  _ three _ exceptions.

 

“Hey, Mom. How’s everything? How’s Dad?”

 

_ “Oh, just fine. We’re all just fine, Peter. I haven’t been hearing from you much these last few weeks, young man.” _

 

Pete clenched his teeth. The admonishment may have been mild but disappointing his parents, especially his mother, was never something he liked to do. “Yeah, I know. It’s just...you know...I was taking a lot of extra work and stuff, you know? It hasn’t been that long, has it? I spoke to you last week.” Pete was trying his hardest to play cute and coy. His mother never bought his act as a kid, and even less now as an adult.

 

_ “Mmm-hmm. Yeah, yeah. Anyways, how’s Patrick doing?” _

 

Pete took a breath and straightened his posture. “That’s actually why I’m calling. I wanted to--”

 

_ “Oh, I see.”  _ Mrs. Wentz’s voice interrupted, a playful tone to her voice but as with every joke, there lay a certain amount of truth behind the poke.  _ “Calling to chat about the boyfriend, not to talk to your poor, lonely, old mother.” _

 

“Oh, my god. Mother  _ please _ !”

 

Dale just laughed, pleased in knowing that her point was made.  _ “Okay, okay. What’s up, baby?” _

 

“I was just thinking...I think that I would like to bring Patrick over for dinner one night so you guys can meet him.”

 

The line was silent for a few beats. _ “Well, well, well. I wasn’t really expecting  _ that _ , if I’m being perfectly honest. You haven’t brought home anyone since...well, since Jasmine. I guess that means things with you and Patrick are starting to get  _ seriously _ serious, huh?”  _

 

“Yeah. Things have definitely gotten pretty serious, Mom.” Pete couldn’t help the soft, dreamy tone his voice took on when he admitted this to his mother. Patrick was the one. For sure. “It’s definitely time you guys meet him. And I also have some big news.”

 

_ “Peter! What are you telling me?” _ Dale gasped.  _ “Do you mean...did you ask him to—“ _

 

“No, no, no…” Pete cut his mom off before she could say what she was suspecting. “I mean, soon probably? But not yet, at least. No, there’s other big news I have to share with everyone. When will everyone be home? I was hoping Hil and Drew would be around for this.”

 

_ “Hold on, let me look at my calendar and see.” _ Pete could hear the click when his mother put the call on speaker and knew she was navigating to her calendar app to check everyone’s availability. _ “Hillary and Andrew are both free the weekend at the end of the month. Three weeks from now? Is that good?” _

 

Pete imagined his calendar in his head. Their doctor’s appointment was the following week so he’d be able to bring a sonogram photo with him. “That’s perfect! Okay, can you call them and arrange it?”

 

_ “Absolutely, baby. I’ll call you later on in the week to confirm, if you’d like.” _

 

Pete smiled, nervous and anxious, but excited more than anything else. “Thank, Mom. I can’t wait for you to meet Patrick. He’s...well, he’s pretty fucking special. I know you’ll love him.”

 

_ “I’m sure I will, too. I love you, Peter.” _

 

“I love you, too, Mom.”

 

As Pete ended the call, he felt more secure with his decision. If everything goes well with Patrick meeting his family, he knew what he wanted the next step to be. After starting up his laptop, he pulled up the bookmarked page he had created a week ago with different ideas for ring designs.

 

**

 

“Are you excited, baby?” Pete turned off the car engine after he pulled into the parking spot in the lot outside of Dr. Chavez’s office and took Patrick’s hand in his. “You ready, love?”

 

Patrick was smiling wide, right hand rubbing his stomach. “I can’t wait, Pete. I’m gonna meet them today.” 

 

They sat there, smiling softly to one another, gazing wistfully into each other’s eyes.

 

Patrick hesitated, a wave of nervousness creeping up his spine. “You’re excited, too, right? You want to meet them, too?”

 

Pete could see that Patrick was about to escalate into a bit of a state.  _ It’s all my fault, _ he thought to himself.  _ He wouldn’t be so quick to panic if I hadn’t given him a million reasons to feel unwanted...invisible, insignificant...I really fucked up, man. _

 

“Shh, no, baby. I am _so_ _fucking_ _excited_ , you have no idea. This is a big day! No bad feelings allowed, got it?” Pete released Patrick’s sweaty hand and reached over to pat his lap. “Come on, now. Let’s go meet our babies already.”

 

**

 

Patrick was wiggling around on the examination table, trying to find a comfortable spot while still holding onto Pete’s hand. The paper covering the top of the table was making a considerable amount of crinkling as he moved about. Pete found it amusing and was relieved that Patrick was showing none of the anxiety that he had on previous doctor visits. He showed no indication that any of those bad experiences were affecting him. No, this was a whole new experience...a positive and happy one. 

 

Soon the succinct  _ knock knock knock _ rapped on the door and Dr. William Chavez stepped into the examination room. Pete was surprised to be greeted by yet another young doctor. Dr. Chavez was about Pete’s height with short but obviously curly dark hair, an infectious smile, and a trusting face. He was wearing standard, light blue medical scrubs so the tattoo sleeve that adorned his arm were visible, along with the choker necklace with a Taurus charm around his neck.

 

“Hello, hello, hello,” Dr. Chavez enthusiastically greeted as he approached Patrick with an outstretched hand. “You must be Patrick. I’m Dr. Chavez, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” 

 

Patrick, surprisingly, eagerly took the doctor’s hand in greeting and shook. His ears twitched up, tall and alert, confirming to Pete that Patrick was feeling comfortable meeting this stranger. After introducing himself to the neko, Dr. Chavez turned his attention to Pete.

 

Pete stood up to properly greet the doctor. “Hello, doctor. My name is Pete.”

 

“Pleasure to meet you both.” Dr. Chavez collected the medical file from behind the door and glanced over the pages. “Now, Dr. Bodner, who last saw you, already forwarded all of his information a few weeks ago so instead of a full work up, today we’re going to a basic wellness check and ultrasound. Are you ready?”

 

Patrick gazed up at the doctor’s kind face, a soft smile on his lips, as he squeezed Pete’s hand. “Yes, doctor. I’m really excited to meet our babies.” Two fuzzy ears perked up, twitching and at attention. 

 

“Great. I’ll go ahead and let my technician know we’re ready.” Dr. Chavez reached into a supply closet and pulled out a paper modesty gown. “Patrick, I just need you to remove your shirt but you can put this on so you’re not so exposed. I’ll be back in a few minutes.

 

Once the doctor left them alone, Pete helped Patrick with removing his shirt and putting on the paper gown. They were quiet but full of a nervous excitement. This is a monumental moment for them both and Pete was centering his energy in trying to remain focused and calm. Pete, when excited, was usually a blabbering ball of manic energy and he knew that that wasn’t quite the appropriate way to act at the moment. For Pete, holding back was always the biggest challenge. But for Patrick’s sake, he has been doing quite a lot of just that. 

 

They sat side by side on the examination table, chatting lightly and exchanging soft touches, until they heard the doctor knock, signalling his return. 

 

“Alright, gentlemen. Let’s get started.”

 

**

 

Pete and Patrick sat in silence, watching the medical professionals intently. Dr. Chavez and the ultrasound technician were equally quiet, save for the occasional muttering of “Hmm” by the doctor. Patrick was grinning widely, holding the corner of the paper gown over the very top of his chest, tail twitching off the side of the examination table, as he peered up into the grainy black and white imagery on the screen. He couldn’t make out anything discernible, but he knew that the doctor was trying to get a decent image up. Pete, however, started feeling a twinge of nervousness. He wasn’t too familiar with anything related to the medical field, but he was pretty sure that this excessive length of quiet from the doctor and this level of intense concentration wasn’t standard procedure. 

 

“Can you see them yet, Dr. Chavez?” Pete spoke in an almost whisper. He didn’t want to interrupt but his nerves were starting to get the best of him. Too much silence was not always a welcomed thing for Pete. It left him alone with his worries too much. 

 

Dr. Chavez’s eyes didn’t leave the screen as he continued to manipulate the transducer over Patrick’s belly. Pete glanced down and could see the muscles of his boyfriend’s stomach ripple every so often, obviously feeling a bit ticklish. “Yes, Mr. Wentz. I’m simply trying to make sure I’m seeing everything clearly.”

 

The doctor muttered some medical jargon to the technician as they continued their probing; Patrick’s tail starting to bristle and flicking more aggressively as impatience started to set in. Pete began to stroke his soft blonde ears in an attempt to soothe both of their nerves and keep Patrick’s attention focused on his ministrations, rather than whatever restlessness he was experiencing. 

 

After what felt like an eternity, though was probably no more than a minute or two, the doctor had the technician capture several screenshots and asked him to leave the room to speak to Patrick and Pete privately. 

 

Once the door was closed, Dr. Chavez pulled up the saved images and faced the expectant couple. “Well, first off, I’d like to apologize for the delay. I was having some trouble getting a clear image at first and I wanted to make certain that what I was detecting was correct. Now, unfortunately there does seem to be some unexpected developments.”

 

Pete put a protective arm around Patrick as the neko sat up, facing the doctor with a now grim and nervous expression.  _ Why the fuck does something bad  _ always  _ seem to fucking happen to them? _

 

“While your initial ultrasound and lab work with Dr. Bodner detected the presence of three fetuses, it appears now that there is only one. This is actually not that uncomm--”

 

“Wait, hold up.” Pete interrupted the doctor, pulling away from Patrick and raising a hand in the air. “Just a sec. You said there is only  _ one  _ baby right now? But there were three before? So...wait, was the other doctor wrong? I don’t get this.”

 

Dr. Chavez had a soft, understanding expression on his face; completely unphased by the interruption and unaffected by the expectant father’s aggressive tone and body language. “Yes, sir, I do understand how this seems confusing. As I was saying, this is actually not that uncommon of an occurrence and is usually referred to as Vanishing Twin Syndrome. Basically, this  occurs when a twin or multiple disappears in the uterus during pregnancy as a result of a miscarriage of one twin or multiple. The fetal tissue is absorbed by the other twin, multiple, placenta, or the mother. This giving the appearance of a “vanishing twin.” Reasons for this occurrence vary but in male nekos, it is typically due to extreme stress.”

 

Pete felt sick to his stomach and a bit dizzy. “But Patrick hasn’t shown any signs of a miscarriage or any physical distress. There’s been no bleeding or anything.”

 

“Well, yes in most cases the mother would show no indication of the loss and often would be unaware of it at all if it were not for ultrasounds.” Dr. Chavez went back over to the screen, pulling up the images of the ultrasound he just performed. “The good news is, the baby appears to be developing wonderfully and seems quite healthy.”

 

Patrick seemed oddly calm, especially considering the gravity of the situation. Pete, however, was still fixated on what could have been the cause of the loss. “I’m sorry to keep focusing on the negative, but I’m just having a bit of a hard time wrapping my head around this. So, you think that stress would have been the reason this happened to Patrick? Like, do you mean emotional stress? Physical stress? What exactly do you mean?”

 

Patrick was leaning forward and rubbing the side of his face along Pete’s shoulder; instinct telling him that he needed to scent and comfort his mate. Pete smelled strongly of anxiety, fear, and something he could only describe as  _ territorially defensive.  _ Pete turned his head, noticing Patrick’s actions, mistaking them for the neko feeling distressed and gathering him in his arms, shushing under his breath. Patrick started to purr quietly.

 

“Any type of stress could be a factor in triggering a miscarriage. Pregnancy in male nekos do carry a bit more risk for complications in general. They require much more care, both physically and emotionally. If they are feeling high levels of any sort of stress, their bodies start to go into shock. If they are pregnant, this will cause an immediate miscarriage as a means of self preservation.”

 

Pete nodded, absorbing the explanation from Dr. Chavez. Clearly losing the babies was his fault. He had neglected Patrick in the early stages of pregnancy, refused any sort of attention or affection while he worked through his panic. He thought keeping himself away from Patrick was helping; thought that by keeping his distance, he’d be protecting his boyfriend from any damage. 

 

His good intentions were absolute bullshit knowing now that his neglect was the reason Patrick lost two of the babies. 

 

He never imagined the repercussions of his actions would be this deep. 

 

Patrick’s purring rolled to a stop and he cleared his throat, addressing the doctor. “Dr. Chavez? May I ask a question?”

 

Pete startled a little at the sound of Patrick’s voice. The doctor smiled and nodded. “Of course, Patrick. What would you like to know?”

 

“Well,” he said as he extracted himself from Pete’s grasp and sat up straighter. “I was reading on the internet that we would be able to see if the babies...um, I mean... if the  _ baby _ is a boy or girl...and I was wondering if you can tell yet?”

 

Dr. Chavez smiled brightly, relieved to be able to deliver some good news after such an unexpected discovery at the start of the ultrasound. “Actually, yes. That was the next thing I was going to bring up with you both today. I was able to determine the gender of the baby. Are you both interested in knowing?”

 

Pete perked up considerably, his scent switching to nervous but  _ excited.  _ “Really? You...I didn’t know you could tell so soon. Is it too soon? Whatever! Yes, we’d like to know. I mean...right, Trick? We want to know, right?”

 

Patrick smiled widely, pointy little canines gleaming as the tip of his little pink tongue poked out between this incisors. “Yes, yes, yes! We definitely want to know, please.”

 

Dr. Chavez turned back to the computer screen, shaking his mouse to bring the monitor back to life. “Well, gentlemen. It looks like you will be having a little girl. Congratulations.”

 

Pete’s mouth dropped open. A little girl. While he would have been thrilled either way, if truth be told, he’d always felt a secret preference for having a girl. 

 

“A girl? Pete...did you hear him!” Patrick gasped out as he scrambled to grab Pete’s hands. “We’re having a girl, Petey! A little girl!”

 

“Yeah...yeah, baby. I heard.”

 

“Are you happy, Pete? Is this...is this okay?”

 

Pete faced his boyfriend, cupping the side of his face with one hand and brushing the hair away from his forehead with the other. “I’ve never been happier, baby. This is everything I’ve ever wanted.”

 

_Well, almost_ _everything,_ Pete said to himself, thinking back to the ring he was having designed for when he finally asked Patrick to marry him. _Soon...soon I’ll have it all._

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Pass by my Tumblr @laudanumcafe  
> ❤️


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